Sixty Seconds
by Tori of Lorien
Summary: That was all it took. After a bomb goes off in their hotel, a celebration turns into a fight for survival as the superstars trapped inside must escape from not only the remains, but the psychopaths still around. Who is responsible? Who will survive?
1. Chapter 1

**Sixty Seconds**

**Summary**: That was all it took. After a bomb goes off in their hotel, a celebration turns into a fight for survival as the superstars trapped inside must escape from not only the remains, but the psychopaths still around. Who will survive?

**Characters**: John Morrison, Jeff Hardy, Edge, Drew McIntyre, Tiffany, Maria Kanellis, Beth Phoenix, Shane Helms, CM Punk, Shane McMahon, Matt Hardy, Christian, Evan Bourne

**Rating**: T

**Author's Note**: Hey! This was meant to be kind of a quick story, but it's stretching out to be a little more than that, lol! I'm not quite sure what made me want to do a story like this since this is something new for me, but I'm definitely going to give it a try! Much thanks to **Expect_the_Unexpected75** for all of her help developing the plot! This wouldn't be here without you! Um, there's not really much else to say but enjoy!

_Chapter 1_

Adam Copeland felt as though he was on top of the world. After many months of being out due to a torn Achilles tendon, he had finally been able to step back into the ring and perform on the grandest stage as the devious Edge once again. It had been an amazing feeling, especially since the welcome for the Rated-R Superstar had been a generous one. It was that kind of feeling and energy that he thrived for.

To celebrate, he was sitting in the bar of the casino boat that was serving as their hotel. It was a nice two-story building over the lake, creating a beautiful scenic view. Adam smiled as he watched other members of the Smackdown and ECW rosters who were staying there wtih him, laughing a little as he watched divas Maria Kanellis and Beth Carolan, better known as Beth Phoenix, playing a couple slot machines along with Shane "Hurricane" Helms. He shook his head, not planning on wasting his time on games that night.

Then, Adam looked up when someone set a glass of beer in front of him, and he smiled at his good friend and former tag team partner, Jason Reso, ECW's own Christian. "Hey, Man," he said when he sat across from him. "What a night, huh?"

"Yeah," Jason agreed with a smile of his own. "You got quite a reception tonight."

Adam laughed a little. "I was surprised by that myself," he told him. "But it's just so great to be back, Jay, I can't explain it..."

Jay nodded. "I know. I loved coming back home too," he replied. Then, he raised his glass in the air, and Adam did the same as they clinked them together. "To many successes."

"To many sucesses."

* * *

"I win, Kanellis," Beth said with a confident grin, taking the coins from the machine as bright lights flashed.

Maria frowned slightly, knowing that it had been her idea to bet on the lucky sevens, which was what had won. But, she also knew better than to argue with the Glamazon.

"What do you think? Another round?" Beth asked, her eyes gleaming with a competitive spark.

"No, I don't think so..." Maria answered quietly.

"Well, then," Shane said, wrapping an arm around both of their shoulders. "How about I buy you both a drink after a great show tonight? Drew's got the right idea."

The three of them watched as Drew Galloway, Smackdown's recent champion Drew McIntyre, went through the sliding door that led out to the deck with two drinks in his hands.

"Hmm, wonder who he's going to go see?" Beth muttered with a smirk.

"I think that's obvious," Shane told her. "Just sayin'. But, those drinks are calling, ladies!"

Maria smiled politely as she slid out from under his arm. "Sounds great, Shane, but not tonight," she said.

Shane looked at her with concern. "Are you okay, Ria?" he wondered.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Maria replied, brushing some of her red hair out of her face. "I'm just kinda' tired after the show tonight. I think I'm gonna crash early."

"If you're sure..."

Maria nodded. "Talk to you guys later," she told them. With one last smile, she turned and left the bar, walking past Adam and Jay as she headed for the stairs that would bring her to her room.

* * *

Drew Galloway smiled when he stepped out onto the wooden deck, seeing his beautiful fiance leaning on the railing as she looked out at the sun setting over the lake. He came up behind her, setting the drinks down on the railing before wrapping his arms around her and kissing her cheek.

"I thought I'd find you out here, Taryn," he muttered.

Taryn Terrell, better known as Tiffany, the general manager of ECW, turned to look at him, a smile spreading across her face. "Of course, it's beautiful out here," she told him. "Just look at that gorgeous sunset!"

"Why would I look at that when I can look at you?" Drew asked with a hint of a smile forming at the corner of his mouth.

Laughing, Taryn kissed his nose quickly. "You're funny."

"Am I?" Drew carefully spun her around so he could meet her gaze. "It'll be dark in a few minutes, and the beauty of the sunset will be gone. But, you'll still be here, even after that sun goes down."

"Wouldn't that be a reason _to_ watch the sunset?" Taryn wondered with a slight laugh.

Drew smiled. "No, Taryn," he told her. "I'd much rather be looking at a beauty that will last, regardless of the time of day."

Taryn couldn't help but smile up at the man she was going to marry before she met his lips in a kiss. She often wondered what their wedding was going to be like, and the only thing she knew for sure was that she wanted it near some body of water. But regardless of what happened, she knew it would be perfect.

They broke the kiss when they heard sudden laughter from inside, seeing that Jeff Hardy, though no longer in the WWE, had joined his older brother, Matt, and friend John Hennigan, better known as John Morrison, at the bar. Drew's attention was then turned back to Taryn when she wrapped her finger in his ponytail.

"Yes?"

"Where were we?" Taryn asked with a smile.

Drew returned it, leaning down to kiss her again as the sun set on the horizon.

* * *

"Great show tonight, Man," Matt Hardy said as the bartender placed two beers in front of him and John Hennigan.

"Yeah, it was definitely a good one," John agreed with a smile. "And then with Adam coming back... definitely a great night. That crowd was electric..."

"Mm-hmm." Matt took a sip of his beer, not having time to say anything else before they were joined by a third man.

"Hey, great show tonight, Man!" Jeff Hardy, Matt's younger brother, said as he sat on Matt's other side. Even though no longer a part of the WWE, he would sometimes go with Matt to see the show, along to visit with old friends.

"Thank you," Matt replied with a loud laugh, giving him a one-armed hug. "I'm glad to have my little bro coming out and supporting me!"

"Of course, Man."

Matt smirked as he turned his attention to the bartender. "Hey, get this man a beer!" he told him.

John smiled and laughed a little as he took a sip of his own drink. Both of the Hardy brothers were good friends of his, and it was fun to celebrate such a successful night with them.

Then, their attention was switched to the door of the casino when two people walked in. One was Shane McMahon, the son of the WWE Chairman who had just lost his job, and the other was Matthew Karklan, a man who was on the RAW roster but was making some appearances on ECW's show.

"Hey, Evan!" Matt called, ushing his ring name. "Come and join us, kid!"

The wrestler known as Evan Bourne looked over in their direction and smiled, saying goodbye to Shane before walking toward them. The other man looked around before heading toward where Adam and Jay were sitting.

"Wonder what he's doing here," Jeff muttered, watching as Shane sat down next to Adam.

John, the one who had heard him since Matt had stood to meet Evan, looked over his shoulder. "Shane? He still comes to some of the shows," he told him. "Though not working anymore, he helps out a bit backstage, making sure things run smoothly. Overall, he's there to give support. Kinda' like what you're doing for us."

Jeff smiled as he took a sip of his beer. "Yeah, that sounds like Shane."

* * *

Phil Brooks, better known to the WWE Universe as CM Punk, left his hotel room to head downstairs to the weight room. Unlike everyone else who was staying there, he was going to avoid the casino and bar. Those kinds of leisurely activities just didn't suit him.

He rounded the corner, surprised when someone with red hair bumped into him. "Oh, geeze, sorry, Ria," he muttered, taking her arms to steady her. "You okay?"

"Yeah, sorry about that, Phil," Maria said with a laugh, giving him a quick hug. "I just wasn't watching where I was going."

"I wasn't either," Phil said with a slight smile. "But I was expecting to be the only one up here since everyone's down at the bar."

Maria nodded. "Yeah, I'm on my way to my room," she told him. "Gonna' crash early..."

Phil looked at her with concern. "You do look really tired," he commented.

"Yeah, I'm thinking it's from the show," Maria muttered. "Nothing a little rest won't take care of. I'll see you later, okay, Phil?"

"Yeah, sure." Phil watched as Maria left and went down the hallway, waiting until she went into her room before continuing toward the weight room.

* * *

"Good to see you here tonight, Man," Adam said as Shane sat next to him.

Shane smiled at him. "Thanks," he replied. "I had to see the return of Edge, right?" Adam only laughed.

Jay nodded in agreement. "That was a sight to see," he muttered with a smile at his friend before turning his attention to Shane. "You picked a good night to be here."

The younger McMahon laughed a little. "Well, it's always good to be home."

* * *

Once the WWE stars had made their way up to their rooms, two men stood in the dark, empty casino, talking in hushed tones.

"Now?" the first man asked expectantly.

Looking around for a moment, the second man nodded with a smirk. "Now."

* * *

_00:60... 00:59..._

Jeff watched as Matt climbed into the bed next to the one he was using before switching off the lamp.

"Good night, Jeffro. Thanks for coming out tonight."

"Night, Matt. Anytime."

* * *

_00:50... 00:49..._

Drew pulled Taryn close to him when she climbed into bed, kissing her softly.

"I love you, Taryn."

Taryn smiled, kissing him again before snuggling against him. "Love you too, sweetheart."

* * *

_00:40... 00:39..._

Adam lay stretched out on the bed, looking up at the dark ceiling. A grin spread across his face, still able to hear his theme music playing, to see all of the flashing cameras, to feel the energy from the crowd as he made his way to the ring...

* * *

_00:30... 00:29..._

Jay sat down on the bed, elbows on his knees as he stared thoughtfully at the wall. After a moment, he sighed tiredly before switching off the light and crawling under the covers, his eyes closing as soon as his head hit the pillow.

* * *

_00:20... 00:19..._

Phil set his phone down with a sigh when Maria didn't answer her phone. She had tried to call him while he was on the way back from the weight room, but he had missed the call and she hadn't left a message. But now, when he tried to return her call, she didn't answer...

Wondering what she had wanted and not being able to shake the feeling that something was off, Phil got off the bed and left the room, going to Maria's a couple doors away.

* * *

_00:10... 00:09..._

Shane Helms tied his hair back behind his head before he climbed into bed and switched off the light. It had been a great show, though he had only made a quick appearance. But the fact that Jeff, one of his best friends, had been there to watch and give support was the best part to him.

* * *

_00:08... 00:07..._

John climbed into the bed that was next to the one Evan was using, seeing that his back was to him. "Night," he said, turning the light off.

Though not looking back at him, Evan yawned as he replied, "Night, John."

* * *

_00:06... 00:05..._

Beth sighed as she marked her spot in her book and set it on the small table beside the bed before turning off the lamp and laying down, ready for a good night's sleep.

* * *

_00:04... 00:03_

Shane McMahon sat on the bed, watching the end of a late-night movie that happened to be on before turning the television off and laying in bed, relieved to be home.

* * *

_00:02... 00:01..._

Something had been in the can, though she didn't know exactly what it was. But whatever it happened to be was poisoning her, she could feel it.

Maria crawled along the floor away from a can of hair spray toward the door, hoping to reach it. She had tried to call Phil since he would have been her best chance for help, but he hadn't answered. Now, her only chance was to get out of the room.

But as Maria inched along, coughing forcefully, she knew she wasn't going to make it. She could hardly breathe, every part of her body felt like lead... She reached a shaking hand out, feeling her fingers brush against the door before collapsing to the ground.

* * *

Phil stood on the other side of the door, about to knock when he heard coughing and another noise from inside.

"Ria?" he called, frantically pushing on the door handle. "Ria!"

Realizing that he wasn't going to get in that way, Phil rammed his shoulder into the door, feeling and hearing it crash open.

"_Ria-!_"

* * *

_0:00._

Suddenly, there was a loud sound that caused the entire building to shake. Dust and rubble flew everywhere and a burst of intense heat spread throughout the area as an explosion rocked the hotel.

**Author's Note**: That's it for chapter one. Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey! I'm glad this story seems to be liked so far! Thank you to **Expect-the-Unexpected**, **dumwolf**, **x0allisonqt0x**, **Graelam**, **Magz86**, and **hardygirl87 **for your reviews! Definitely appreciated! Um, **Graelam **(thank you for helping with this chapter too, by the way!) had the right idea, I just forgot to mention this in my last author's note. A part that goes along with this story is that you guys get to guess who's the one behind the whole bomb thing, so leave your guesses in your reviews (you're not committed to one person- it can change from chapter to chapter based on what happens). It can be _anyone_, and just remember that nothing is what it seems. So, enjoy!

_Chapter 2_

Vince McMahon groggily opened his eyes and looked around when he heard a loud sound close to his ear. Realizing it was his cell phone, he quickly propped himself up on his elbow and looked at the flashing screen. It was a number he didn't recognize, but rather than have it wake the still sleeping Linda, he answered it. "Hello?"

_"Hello, Vince."_

Immediately, Vince was on high alert. The voice was low and almost muffled, making it indistinguishable. "Who is this?" he asked, looking back at Linda again to make sure she was still asleep before slowly sitting up completely.

But the man on the other end only laughed. _"That's not important," _he answered. _"What is important is what I have to show you."_ Before Vince could ask what he meant, the voice continued, _"Turn the television on and find the news."_

Vince nervously glanced down at his sleeping wife again before standing up with a sigh, wrapping his robe around him as he left the room. He walked downstairs to the living room, quickly finding the remote and turning to a news station so he could see what this crazy man was talking about.

What he saw nearly made him drop his phone.

There was an aerial image of a smoking, partly collapsed building over a lake, and he turned the volume up in time to hear that a bomb had gone off inside the building, and there was nothing confirmed about who had been inside or if there were any survivors.

But Vince knew exactly what building it was and who would be trapped inside of it, or worse, without the newscaster to fill him in.

"Oh, my God..."

There was laughter on the other end, a laugh that showed the man knew just how badly this news affected the WWE chairman. _"I wonder, Vince, just how terrible it must feel to watch your beloved company crumble."_

Vince, brought out of his shock by the voice, turned the television off. "Who are you, you son of a bitch?" he demanded angrily.

But there was only more laughter from the other man before the line went dead.

* * *

Phil groaned, putting his hand to his head. The force of whatever had just happened had thrown him back against the wall, the impact leaving him temporarily stunned. He had heard the loud sound, felt the intense heat, and now as he looked around him, he saw the rubble that had been left behind. It was difficult to wrap his mind around the fact that a bomb had actually gone off in the hotel...

But when Phil looked at the dust-filled room in front of him, his heart suddenly raced when he thought of who had been inside. "Ria!"

He quickly got to his feet, stumbling through the pieces of concrete and other debris as he made his way to the room. He leaned in the doorway, immediately beginning to cough from all the dust. "Ria!" Phil called, squinting to try to see. "_Ria!_"

Then, he saw a bit of red through the cloud, recognizing it to be Maria's hair, a short distance away from the door. Phil entered the room and knelt down next to her, brushing the light dust and rubble pile off of her before carefully turning her over. "Ria," he muttered worriedly, relieved to see that she was at least still breathing.

Phil began to cough a bit more forcefully as he looked around. There was something else in the room other than the dust, but he wasn't quite sure what it was. But his concern was immediately switched back to Maria, knowing that she had been exposed to it longer...

Still coughing a bit, he gently picked her up into his arms, wincing slightly as he held her close and made his way back out into the hallway. Phil walked to a spot that was nearly cleared of rubble and knelt down again, looking over Maria more carefully. There was a small bruise forming under her right eye, but other than that, she seemed unharmed, at least on the outside. What he was more concerned about was what she had been exposed to.

"Ria," Phil said, running his fingers across her cheek before starting to shake her to try to wake her. "Ria, can you hear me?"

She remained limp in his arms, not responding to his voice. Phil ran his hand through Maria's hair as he shook her again, frantically searching for any signs that she was hearing him. He didn't see any, but what he did notice was that her breathing was very shallow...

Sighing when he realized what he had to do to help her, Phil carefully tilted her head back, pinched her nose shut, and placed his mouth over hers, hoping to force more air into her lungs to help her to breathe better on her own. It only took a couple of times of giving her oxygen when Maria began to cough, taking fuller breaths.

Feeling a little more relieved that she was at least breathing better, though still unconscious, Phil carefully picked Maria up into his arms again, his sore body protesting to the action, as he got to his feet. He waited for a moment until the pain died down a little before he began to walk down the dark, dust and debris filled hallway toward a patch of moonlight at the other end. The near silence unnerved him, and he couldn't help but wonder where everyone else was or if they were even alive...

When he reached the end of the hall where the moon's rays were filtering in, he immediately felt a cool breeze hit his arm, and Phil saw that a hole had been blown through the wall in the blast. It was too small for either of them to fit through, not to mention too high of a jump to even think of an escape, but he knew that the fresh air coming in would do Maria good, especially with whatever fumes she had been exposed to. He stopped next to it, looking out at the night sky before he looked down at Maria, her face softly lit by the moonlight. It was at that moment he realized, even though they had agreed they were only going to remain friends, he still loved her.

Feeling the fresh air on her face, Maria began to stir a little. Phil watched as her eyes slowly fluttered open, and when she realized that she was in someone's arms, her disoriented gaze moved up to meet his concerned one. When she recognized him after a moment, her eyes narrowed in confusion.

"Phil?"

* * *

Coughing forcefully, Shane Helms slowly slid out of the bed and began to stumble through the dust-filled room. He had nearly been asleep when the loud sound had rocked the building, and for a split second, he had absolutely no idea what was going on other than the fact that he had a pounding headache.

But when Shane was able to get his door open and looked out into the hallway, his eyes widened in horror.

"Oh, my God..."

There was rubble from the collapsing building littering the dark hall, dust lingering in the air. Shane slowly wandered out into the mess, careful as he made his way toward the room two doors down that he knew his best friends were staying in. He hoped that they were okay after what he knew had been a bomb...

Before he reached the room, Shane stopped when the door opened and Matt and Jeff Hardy stumbled into the hallway, both brothers appearing confused and alarmed as they anxiously looked around at the mess left behind. They also seemed to be unharmed except for Jeff, who had a gash running down his left arm.

"Thank God you guys are okay," Shane muttered as he approached them.

Jeff nodded as he looked nervously up at the cracks that ran through the ceiling, coughing a little as some more dust entered his lungs. "Yeah, we're fine," he told him, clearing his throat. "We're lucky that we survived that though..."

Matt sighed as he ran his hand through his dark curls, his eyes running over Jeff and Shane before he looked up and down the empty hallway. "You can say that again," he said quietly, the only other sound to be heard being pieces of concrete continuing to collapse. "Let's see if we can say the same for anyone else."

* * *

Beth walked down the dark hallway, her hand on the wall to help keep her balance as she made her way through the remains. A bomb had gone off in the hotel- she was too shocked to even be angry that she had lost her place in her book. But the emptiness and the silence of the hall, save for the sound of the rubble crunching beneath her feet, concerned her, making her wonder if anyone else had survived the blast.

She went around the corner, gasping with surprise when she nearly walked into two people. "John? Evan?"

"Beth?" John Hennigan and Evan Bourne looked just as surprised to see her, and though appearing to be shaken up, thy both appeared to be unharmed.

"Where are you guys headed?" Beth asked, hoping she didn't sound as freaked as she felt.

"We're looking around to see if everyone else is okay," John answered. "You're the only one we've found so far. Why don't you come with us?"

Beth inwardly sighed with relief. "Okay, I'll come," she replied quietly, glad that she was going to be with both of them instead of on her own. "Thanks."

Evan nodded as he sighed, beginning to walk again as John and Beth slowly followed after him. "All right, then. Let's go see who else we can find."

* * *

Adam slowly walked with Jay, who had come to his room to make sure that he was okay after what they both knew had been a bomb. With the sound and heat, and the obvious damage that thad been left behind as they walked through the dark hallway, it couldn't have been anything else. They just didn't know why someone would want to blow up the hotel.

Then, both men stopped, looking around with confusion. "Do you hear that?" Adam asked quietly, trying to find the source of what sounded like a girl crying. It had been the first sound they had heard other than their own footsteps and the random pieces of parts of the ceiling collapsing, and it also told them that someone else was still alive.

"Yeah," Jay answered, his eyes narrowing thoughtfully as he looked around. "Where is it coming from?"

"I think this way..." Adam hurried forward, carefully going through the rubble with Jay close behind, until they got to the end of the hall. No one was in sight.

"That's weird, Jay muttered as he looked around again. "I mean, you heard it too..."

Adam listened to the soft sound as he slowly walked back in the opposite direction, unsure of where it was coming from. They had reached the end of the hall, and the debris piles weren't too big, so no one was buried beneath them...

Then, he stopped in front of one of the doors, the one he knew that Drew and Taryn had been using, the crying sounding a bit louder. Seeing that it was starting to come off its hinges from the blast, Adam signaled for Jay to join him before forcing it open.

Taryn was sitting on the bed with Drew beside her, wrapped in his arms as she cried into his shoulder. They both looked up quickly when the door crashed open, but they visibly relaxed when they saw the former tag team.

"Are you guys all right?" Adam asked, his eyes mainly on Taryn since she was the one that had been crying.

Drew nodded. "We're fine," he answered, kissing Taryn's head quickly as she took a deep breath and wiped her tears away. "Just shaken up... Is everyone else okay?"

"We don't know," Jay told him with a sigh. "We're looking around now. It's a good thing we heard you."

"Yeah, I'm glad you did."

Taryn sighed, taking Drew's hand tightly in hers. "So, what now?" she wondered quietly.

Adam gave her a kind smile. "Well, we go see if anyone else made it through. Come on."

* * *

"So, there was something in your room?" Phil asked once Maria was done explaining what had happened when he found her. The two were sitting underneath the hole in the wall so they could still get the fresh air as they talked.

Maria nodded as she took a deep breath. "Yeah, my can of hair spray was replaced with... whatever that was," she answered quietly, meeting Phil's hazel eyes with a flicker of fear in hers. "I tried calling you, but I didn't know if you got it..."

Phil sighed, looking at Maria with concern. He knew that whatever she had been exposed to had most likely been meant to kill her, and he was just relieved that he had ben able to get to her in time. But he also new that she still needed medical attention. The sooner they could get out of the building, the better. "I'm sorry I missed your call, Ria," he muttered. "You didn't answer when I tried calling back, so I'm glad I came to check on you. That was much too close..."

"Hey." Maria lightly placed her hand on top of his, and Phil could tell by the look in her eyes that she wasn't blaming him. "You're here now, and that's all I care about. If you hadn't come when you did... I wouldn't be here. So, I have to thank you for that."

Smiling, Phil slowly turned his hand over so that hers was resting in it. Maria tensed at the action at first, but then she relaxed and allowed him to wrap his fingers around her hand while she did the same. He looked into her eyes, seeing the slight hesitance in them but also what appeared to be relief. It had been a mutual decision to just remain friends, but he had to wonder if deep down, she still felt the same way about him as he felt about her...

But before he could say anything more, Phil and Maria broke eye contact and looked ahead of them when they heard footsteps, and they watched as Shane McMahon approached them.

"Thank God _someone_ else is alive," he said, stopping in front of where they were sitting. "I haven't seen anyone else..."

"Neither have we," Phil told him, releasing Maria's hand as he got to his feet to talk with the younger McMahon. "Something's definitely not right about this, Shane..."

Shane raised an eyebrow. "I had no idea," he replied sarcastically. "I mean, it's not like a bomb went off or anything."

Phil rolled his eyes. "No shit," he snapped with frustration before lowering his voice a bit to continue. "There was a can of fumes in Maria's room."

"Fumes?" Shane looked at the Straightedge Superstar with an unreadable expression on his face.

Before Phil could continue, they heard another voice coming from the other hall. "Hey! You guys are okay!"

Phil and Shane watched as Matt and Jeff Hardy, along with Shane Helms, quickly approached them. They seemed unharmed except for the younger Hardy, who had a gash on his left arm that had partially been hastily wrapped by the sleeve of Matt's shirt.

"It's good to see you guys," the Hurricane continued, seeing with concern that Maria's face was a bit pale.

"Did anyone else survive?" Matt asked, his gaze landing on the McMaohon since he was closest.

"We're not sure..."

"Looks like we're not the only ones who made it."

The six watched as they were joined by three more from the roster. "Good to see you too, kid," Matt said when Evan stopped next to him, John and Beth with him.

John looked around at the still shocked group that had already gathered, mentally noting who was with them and who wasn't. He was relieved to see that most of the stars that had been staying at the hotel were okay, but also concerned to see that a few still weren't there. "Has anyone heard from-!"

"Yeah, yeah, sorry we're late."

Recognizing the voice immediately, they watched as Adam and Jay rushed over to them, shortly followed by Drew and a shaken looking Taryn.

"Well, that makes everyone..." Shane McMahon muttered, eyes scanning the entire group.

"Thankfully," Jeff added quietly, grateful that the people he had once worked with and had grown close to were all right.

Phil sighed a she ran his hand through his hair. "Okay, I'm glad everyone's okay, but we shouldn't be too comfortable yet," he said. "Someone obviously wants us dead... and I wouldn't be surpised if they were still here."

"You're quick to judge, Phil," Adam pointed out. "Why does it have to be one of us? It could be you!"

"Did I ever say it was you, Adam?" Phil snapped, his temper quickly rising. "But now, I don't know. You're being pretty defensive."

Adam narrowed his eyes. "Maybe because being accused is not something I particularly like," he told him. "And besides, I was down at the bar all night with Jay. Ask anyone."

"Yeah, like it's impossible to sneak off into a crowd for a few minutes..."

"I sat with them for a while, and I didn't see him leave," Shane McMahon put in. "Where were you, Phil? You weren't with the rest of us."

Phil looked at the younger McMahon in disbelief. "Really, Shane? You know that I don't drink," he said. "I've been up here and in the weight room."

"Can anyone confirm that?"

"I can't believe you guys would actually think I might have done something like this," Phil muttered with a shake of his head. "But if you must know, I bumped into Maria on my way to the weight room. Happy?"

"And look what happens to her," Shane replied, signaling to where she was still sitting beneath the window. "She has a can of fumes put in her room, as you told me. And then, you're right there to save her. Kind of convenient, don't you think?"

"What? You can't be seroius..."

"Well, you were up here by yourself for the whole night," Drew suddenly added, having carpooled to the hotel with Phil. "It would have given you plenty of time to plant a bomb and whatever happened to Maria."

Phil looked at the Scotsman with anger. "Oh, so just because you're new to the WWE means you're completely innocent, huh?" he told him. "How do we know it wasn't you if you're so ready to throw accusations out, Drew? I'm sure there were times where people didn't know where you were tonight..."

Drew narrowed his eyes at him. "Would I really risk killing the woman I'm going to marry?" he demanded, winding his arm around Taryn protectively.

"Yeah, sure, hide behind her..."

John sighed as the arguing continued, running his hand through his hair. "Look, this isn't going to solve anything..." he began, knowing that tempers were running high and that accusations were only going to make things worse.

Drew glanced over at the self-proclaimed Shaman of Sexy. "Why? Have something to hide, John?" he wondered, a smirk spreading across his face.

"What? No!" John replied, starting to grow defensive. "I didn't do this. I was with Matt and Jeff the whole time."

"Oh, so they couldn't help or cover for you if you walked away for a short time, then? I'm sure they weren't with you every minute," Drew sneered. "Oh, wait, I forgot. You're the supposed 'Guru of Greatness.' You don't need anyone else."

John glared at him. "You're one to talk," he snapped. "I suppose that just because you're McMahon's 'chosen one,' you think you could get away with anything you want, don't you?"

That was the last comment clearly made before everyone else who had been arguing before all started yelling at each other at the same time, accusations being blended together and becoming completely inaudible. Matt and Jeff exchanged looks with each other, Jay shaking his head while he glanced at Evan. Beth joined in the argument, and Shane put his hand to his head while Taryn and Maria exchanged apologetic looks as the voices continued to rise.

Finally, Adam cried out loudly in frustration. "_Enough_!" he shouted. "This is ridiculous! I'm not going to deal with this anymore! Jay, Drew, Taryn, let's go find our own way out." Then, without another word, he turned and stormed away. Jay looked around at the rest of the group before following after the other man. Drew glared at John for a moment longer before finally going with them, pulling Taryn after him.

"I don't think that's a good..." Matt began, but he stopped and sighed when he knew they were already gone. "... idea..."

Beth crossed her arms and glared angrily at Phil, the main one she had been arguing with. "I think we'll go too," she muttered, turning to John and Evan. "Come on, guys." She began to walk down the hall in the opposite direction that the other group had gone, not looking back. Sighing, Evan followed after her, and John gave Matt an apologetic smile before going too.

"Well, if everyone else is leaving, we may as well too," Shane Helms said with aggravation, his frustrationg getting the best of him as he began to walk in the direction that his small group had come from away from the others.

"Come on, Man, not you too," Jeff muttered, hurrying after him as they went back in the direction of their rooms. He knew that splitting up in a situation like this wasn't the best idea, though he also knew it was too late.

Matt sighed, running his hand through his dark curls as he looked at the younger McMahon. Then, he turned and followed after his brother and friend, leaving Shane, Phil, and Maria alone, just as they had been when he had found them.

Shane turned to look at Phil, who was still looking at him with a distrustful eye. "Well, are you coming?" he asked.

Phil thought about his answer for a long moment as he looked away from Shane and down at Maria. He knew she still needed medical attention, and it would be easier to get that for her if they had someone else to help them...

Taking a deep breath, unsure if he was making the right decision, Phil finally nodded. "Yeah, we're coming," he answered quietly, kneeling down next to Maria and putting her arm around his neck while he wrapped his arm around her waist to help her to her feet. Maria winced as they stood up, and Phil paused for a moment, waiting until he was sure that she could continue befoer slowly beginning to follow after Shane, hoping to find a way out.

**Author's Note**: So, a lot going on, but these are the groups that are going to be followed through the rest of the story. Hope you like it! And remember, leave your guesses as to who's behind it in your reviews. Thank you!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Ah!! Thank you so much for the reviews for this story, guys! I'm loving them! And I'm glad that this story is liked. You guys are awesome! Thank you so much to **dumwolf**,** i luv hardy**, **MAMACYTA LUVS RKO**, **Twisted-Skittle**, **elliexhardy**,** SpongeGeorge GigglyPants** (Lol!!), **Taylor**, and **x0allisonqt0x** for your reviews! Special thanks to **Twisted-Skittle** for helping me plot out a little bit of this chapter, and an extra special shoutout to **elliexhardy** for making a trailer for this story! It turned out great! Both of you are awesome! Also, thanks for your guesses, and one of them might just show up... Hehe, enjoy!

_Chapter 3_

Vince McMahon's hand clenched tightly around the steering wheel while he drove toward the airport, his knuckles turning white and his gaze resting intently on the dark road ahead. With his personal flight waiting for him, it wouldn't take as much time to reach his trapped superstars.

But why this had even happened in the first place, he wasn't sure. What had he done to make some psychopath try to wipe out part of his rosters? The man had made it clear that his intent was to destroy his company, but blowing up a building with some of the most prominent people and his son inside... That was taking it much too far.

Growling angrily, Vince sped up as much as he dared, wanting to arrive at the site as soon as possible. He hoped everyone who had been staying in that hotel had survived the bomb attack, and if they had, he was going to negotiate and do whatever he had to do to ensure they made it out safely. He wasn't going to let this madman beat him.

And that was when his phone rang.

* * *

"Shane! Come on, Man..." Jeff hurried after the retreating form of his friend as he stormed down the hallway, placing his hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Don't worry about them. Tempers are just flaring..."

At his touch, Shane sharply turned around as though the younger Hardy's hand had burned him. "I don't care about that!" he snapped, shoving his hand away and shocking the other man with his sudden ferocity. "What I do care about is the possibility that one of my co-workers, my _friends_, is behind this. Who can we trust now, Jeff? Who?"

And with that, he turned back around and continued down the hall without another word.

Jeff sighed heavily, only able to watch as Shane disappeared into the room that he had been using. His friend was right. Who could they trust now?

"He'll be back."

Jeff slowly turned to look over his shoulder, watching as Matt approached him. He inwardly sighed, knowing that his older brother was one of the only people he could trust. "Yeah, we'll just give him some time to cool off," he agreed quietly, not wanting to leave the other man on his own.

Matt nodded, winding an arm around Jeff's shoulders as he began to lead him forward through the rubble, crunching beneath their feet. "Come on, Man, let's see if we can knock some sense into him."

* * *

Adam stormed down the hall, grumbling angrily to himself as he moved through the rubble with apparent ease. Jay followed after him, sighing to himself when he thought about what had just occurred.

"Way to go, Adam," he muttered with slight irritation. "Nothing like throwing out an accusation to turn everyone against each other."

"Well, sorry, but Phil should really consider thinking before pointing fingers at the rest of us," Adam told him, stopping and turning to face him. There were slight traces of anger still lingering on his face. "No one even knew where he was tonight. And _he _accuses _us_?!" The rest of his complaining trailed off into incoherent mumbling.

Jay just shook his head at his good friend, watching as Adam continued walking for a minute longer before turning to look behind him at the couple that had chosen to come with them. Drew was walking carefully through the rubble, leading Taryn along, who seemed to be physically attached to his arm. Her face was incredibly pale, and though they both appeared to still be shaken from the ordeal, she looked like she could faint at any moment.

Then, Taryn gasped when a piece of rubble suddenly caught on her shoe, and she stumbled forward. However, she didn't get far before Drew caught her, holding her steady.

"Are you all right, Taryn?" he asked with concern, brushing away some stray blonde hair that had fallen into her face.

"Fine," Taryn answered, though her tone was a bit stiff. She smiled up at him, giving him a quick kiss before walking in the direction Adam had gone. Drew watched after her, glancing at Jay before following after her down the hall. Jay sighed after a moment, slowly going after the other three and wondering if they would find a way out.

* * *

Shane McMahon closed his cell phone, sighing as he put it back in his pocket and turned to look back at Phil and Maria, who were sitting together on the floor against the wall. "Service isn't too great," he informed them with irritation.

Phil smirked up at him. "What? No more bars in more places?" he sneered. Maria rolled her eyes. Ever since they had separated from the rest of the group, Phil and Shane had done nothing but bicker. And with everything that had happened, it was really starting to test her patience.

Sighing, Shane crossed his arms in front of him. "At least I'm trying here," he said quietly. "Which is more that can be said for you."

"Oh, and what do you expect to do?" Phil replied, his eyes narrowing. "Say you can call someone. Who would it be? The police? They're probably outside of here already. Any other form of rescue? Same thing. Your dad? He can't do shit..."

Shane's eyes flared angrily, and Phil grinned, ready to take whatever the younger McMahon could throw at him.

"Phil."

Her voice was as light as her touch on his arm, but it was all that was needed. Phil slowly turned to his left, seeing that Maria was looking back at him with a pleading look in her eye. She only spoke that one word, but what she wanted to say was perfectly clear.

Sighing, Phil nodded before looking back up at Shane. "Well, should we keep moving?" he wondered. "It'll probably be helpful to look for our own way out."

Shane looked down at him for a long moment before finally nodding. "Yeah, let's go," he agreed in a mutter. "That would probably be our best option."

Phil slowly got to his feet before reaching down and helping Maria to her feet, putting her arm around his neck and winding his arm behind her back to support her. "After you." He nodded toward the hallway they had been walking down.

After another moment, Shane nodded as he began to walk through the rubble again. Sighing, Phil looked over at Maria. "Ready?" he asked.

Maria nodded, giving him a hopefully encouraging smile. "Yeah, she answered quietly. "I just hope we make it out of here..."

A small smile appeared on Phil's face. "We will, Ria," he told her, squeezing her hand. "We will."

* * *

Walking with a woman who was trying to take charge of where they were going was slowly wearing down the patience of John and Evan as they followed after Beth. But they went along with it since making it out of the building was their main concern, not minding how that was achieved. And making enemies within their group was the last thing they wanted, so they refrained from disagreeing with the Glamazon.

Turning a corner, they saw that they had reached a second floor landing, the staircase that had led up to it from the bar completely collapsed. The drop was too far to even consider trying to jump down, so that was out of the question. But across the balcony was another hallway, one they knew would lead them to another staircase that had been further away from where they had a clue the bomb had gone off.

"So, what do you think?" Beth finally voiced the thought that had been on all of their minds. "Should we try to cross it?"

"I don't know," John muttered, eyeing the balcony warily. "It doesn't look too sturdy..."

Evan sighed, looking from John to Beth to the hallway that was now across from them. "If we don't try, we'll be stuck," he said, trying not to dwell on the risks involved.

John crossed his arms in front of him. "All right. What happens if it collapses while we're walking across?" he wondered. "That wouldn't be much better."

"It may be our only chance," Beth told them, looking at both men before looking across the landing. "I say we go for it."

"I agree," Evan added.

John looked at the hallway across from them for a long moment before sighing. "Fine, we'll try," he reluctantly agreed, but only because he knew they didn't have any other choice. "Just be careful."

At the start, things went smoothly. Beth stepped out onto what had once been the brightly lit balcony, moving along the wall with Evan and then John behind her. Each step they took was with caution, knowing that one wrong move could have resulted in what was left of the landing to collapse beneath them.

But then, the three of them paused when they heard loud cracking sounds around them, looking around nervously. They knew that the floor was straining under their weight, and they waited tensely for what felt like forever. When nothing happened, Evan slowly let out the breath he was holding. "I think it's okay..."

Suddenly, they heard a much louder sound from above their heads, and before they could react, they saw that large pieces of rubble from the ceiling were falling straight toward them. Acting entirely on instinct, John shoved Beth and Evan out of the way of the collapsing pieces since they were ahead of him, crying out in pain when some larger ones landed on his legs and lower back, pinning him to the ground.

"John!" Beth rushed back over to him once the rubble stopped falling, kneeling down next to him and trying to lift the one off his back. She stopped when she heard his quiet whimper.

Growling with frustration, Beth turned to to look over her shoulder at Evan, who hadn't moved and was simply watching them with an impassive look on his face. "Come on, help me," she said, placing her hand on John's back when another groan of pain escaped from him when he tried moving himself.

Evan sighed as he looked around them. "Beth, we have to keep moving," he told her. "This place is only going to keep collapsing around us, and if we don't go, we'll be trapped in here too."

Beth looked at him in disbelief as she slowly rose to her feet. "Evan... we can't just leave him here, he'll die," she muttered, striding forward to stand in front of him.

"So will we if we stay here any longer," Evan countered, taking a couple of steps back. "We have to keep moving."

"I can't believe you," Beth muttered, glancing down at the struggling John as she started to make her way back over to him. "That could have been _you_ trapped under that rubble. He saved both our asses. I'm not leaving him behind. I don't care what the hell you do, just know that whatever happens will-!"

"Damn it, just _shut up_, Beth!"

The sudden outburst from the usually quiet Evan came as a shock to both Beth and John. Beth quickly turned around while John looked up at him with surprise. But before they could react, a heavy piece of the collapsed ceiling was hurled through the air, hitting Beth in the throat with a loud snap.

John's eyes widened with horror when Beth collapsed limply to the ground before him, her unseeing gaze landing directly on him. Then, he slowly raised his head when footsteps slowly approached him, looking up into Evan's sadistic smirk.

**Author's Note**: ............ (Ducks and hides). Thanks for reading! Hope you liked... And don't forget to review! Thanks, guys!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Yay! Thank you guys so much for your reviews! They mean a lot to me! I'll keep this short and sweet since I know I left on an evil cliffhanger, lol. Thank you to **elliexhardy** (yes, your section is in here!), **MAMACYTA LUVS RKO**, **ThePinkyPop**, **Expect-the-Unexpected75**, and **dumwolf** for the reviews! And with that, enjoy this chapter!

_Chapter 4_

The superstars who had been inside of the casino boat had all survived the explosion. That was what he had been told by the psychotic son of a bitch that had tried to blow up part of his roster.

But Vince McMahon still felt a nagging sense of dread as he parked his car and boarded the plane that would rush him to the site of the explosion. His superstars may have made it through the actual bomb attack, but if the man behind it was able to tell him that they were all alive, he knew he must have been close to the building, if not inside of it...

Vince sighed as he collapsed into the comfortable seat, staring up at the ceiling while he waited for his plane to take off. The knot that had formed in his stomach ever since the first phone call had only grown tighter and tighter. Since the explosion hadn't killed anyone, as it had been intended to do, he was sure that this man would be trying to accomplish that goal through other means...

His hand clenched tightly on his lap as Vince cursed heatedly under his breath. The psycho had succeeded in getting under his skin, but that didn't mean that he was going to let him get away with what he had done. He would pay dearly.

He would make sure of it.

* * *

Jay sighed as he paused for a moment, turning to look behind him. Adam, who had been ahead of him, stopped also when he heard his friend no longer walking, and he sighed as he turned around to see what the hold up was.

They saw that Drew and Taryn had stopped following them, the latter appearing to be very upset about something.

"What is it, Taryn?" Drew was asking with concern, running his fingers gently over her cheek.

Taryn bit her bottom lip, tears quickly springing to her eyes. "I'm just... thinking..." she answered quietly.

"About what?" Drew wasn't quite sure what had made his fiance this upset. He hated seeing her like this.

After a moment, Taryn took a deep breath as a single tear rolled down her cheek. "What if we don't get out of here?" she whispered, her voice shaking. "Drew... what if we die in here?"

Drew looked at her sadly. "Taryn, I wouldn't let-!"

"Ever since I was a little girl, I've imagined what my wedding would be like," Taryn continued, her voice a little louder but still just as shaken. "By the ocean, lots of flowers, all of my friends and family there to watch as I get my fairytale ending with my Prince Charming. I know how silly it sounds, but now that I've found mine... It's the moment I've been waiting for my whole life, Drew. And now..."

Sighing, Drew pulled Taryn into his arms and held her close, resting his chin on top of her head as she clung to him and cried into his chest. "Don't worry, Taryn, you'll have that moment," he muttered, running his hand through her hair. "We both will. I'll make sure that we'll get out of here." His words were not only meant to calm down his terrified fiance, but also to quiet his own silent fears. He had no way of knowing if they were going to make it out alive, but he did know that he would do whatever he had to do to try.

Jay's gaze faltered as he watched Drew try to comfort Taryn. He did feel some sympathy for the couple, sighing quietly as he wondered if they would be able to share that moment together...

But then, his expression was replaced with one of confusion when Drew looked over at him, his eyes narrowing. "Where did Adam go?" he asked.

His own eyes narrowing, Jay quickly looked over his shoulder at where his friend had been standing, and his nerves instantly spiking as he looked around.

Adam was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

"Where is that damn staircase?" Shane McMahon muttered to himself after rounding a corner and seeing that what he was searching for wasn't there.

Phil and Maria were a little slower to walk around the corner after him. He was still leading her along, but as they got further, he noticed that she seemed to be leaning on him more for support. He was also concerned by the way her face had grown pale...

Maria quietly sighed to herself, hoping the sound hadn't been heard by Phil. Walking through the layers of rubble through what felt like a maze of hallways was taking a lot out of her. She was exhausted, feeling weaker with every step as she relied more on Phil to ensure that she could take another one.

But what was worrying her the most wasn't her loss of strength- after being exposed to whatever had been in her can of hairspray, it wasn't too much of a surprise that she was still feeling some sort of effect. It was the way her stomach was just feeling... off. She knew what it was, but something about it just didn't feel right. She needed to stop.

"Hey, guys, could we take a break for just a minute?" Maria asked quietly, not wanting to slow the other two down but knowing that she needed the rest. "Please?"

Phil looked over at Maria with concern, noticing the exhausted look in her eye. "Of course, Ria," he answered before turning his attention to the younger McMahon. "Shane! Let's stop for a bit, Man!"

Shane stopped and turned to look behind him at the pair, seeing that Maria looked about ready to collapse. "Yeah, of course," he agreed. "Take as long as you need."

"Thanks." Phil brought Maria over to a large piece of concrete on the side of the hallway, gently sitting her down before taking his place beside her. Maria leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes, trying to catch her breath as she rested her head on Phil's shoulder. Surprised by her closeness, he wrapped his arm around her and held her close to his side, wishing that he could have a little time alone to talk to her.

Shane watched them for a long moment before sighing and looking down the hallway they had been taking. "Hey, I'm going to see if this hall is clear or if we'll have to take another one," he told them, his gaze lingering on Maria. "You know, to save any unnecessary walking..."

"All right, we'll be here," Phil replied with a slight nod, grateful that he was going to be leaving.

Taking a deep breath and smiling a bit uncomfortably, Shane returned the nod. "Okay. I'll be back soon."

Phil watched Shane until he was out of sight before turning his attention to Maria, who hadn't moved her head from his shoulder. "Hey, you okay, Ria?" he asked quietly, brushing some stray strands of her red hair away from her face.

At the feel of his fingers running lightly across her cheek, Maria slowly opened her eyes and raised her head to look at him. "Mm-hmm," she muttered, giving him a small smile before looking away again. "Just tired..."

He knew by the look in her eye that she was more than just tired. "Ria, what's wrong?" he wondered, placing his fingers beneath her chin and tilting her face up to meet his gaze. The fact that she couldn't look him in the eye and the way her hands were clenched tightly on her lap gave him the impression that she may have been worried about something.

Maria looked at him since she now couldn't look away because of his hand, and a fearful look appeared on her face for a second as a thin line of tears formed in her eyes. "I... I can't..."

Phil lowered his hand from her face, worry appearing in his gaze when he clearly saw the flicker of fear. "Ria... what are you so afraid of?"

A few tears rolled down Maria's cheeks, and she quickly wiped them away though more replaced them. Phil wrapped his arm around her again, hoping to be of some comfort while she looked down at her hands, wringing them anxiously. Then, after a long moment, she slowly looked up at him, her gaze hesitant as she whispered two words so quietly he could barely hear them.

"I'm pregnant."

Phil stared back at Maria, mouth slightly agape and his eyes wide in shock. She was pregnant. That had been the last thing he expected to hear. What he didn't understand was why she seemed so afraid...

But then, a thought crept into his mind, and he sighed heavily as he dropped his gaze. "Was it..."

"That night?" Maria finished for him softly, a single tear rolling down her cheek. "Yes." There was a slight pause where she nodded and sighed. "Yes."

Neither one had any question of what night she was referring to. A few months after they had broken up and decided to just remain friends, both Phil and Maria had realized that they still loved each other, and they decided to try to act on those feelings just one more time. However, it was a bit awkward for the both of them, and rather than risk losing the bond they already had, they finally agreed on just remaining friends.

It had been a mistake. But it had clearly been enough...

Phil sighed again as he shook his head, running his hand nervously through his hair. Maria was expecting _his_ child... He hadn't had a clue. When he thought of himself, a father wasn't something that came to mind.

"And... I'm alone," Maria continued when he didn't say anything, her voice shaking as more tears fell from her eyes, though she tried to stop them. "I don't know... what to do. I... I can't do this on my own, Phil... I'm... I'm scared... And.. and I know you said you... you just wanted to be friends, but... sometimes I wish..."

"Ria."

Maria stopped and looked over at Phil, surprised to see the small smile on his face. "If you don't slow down and take a breath, you're going to pass out," he told her with a quiet laugh, making Maria smile as she sniffed. But then, he reached forward and placed his hand on her cheek, gently wiping her tears away with his thumb.

"Listen to me, Ria," he continued, meeting her damp eyes. "You're not going to be alone. This is our child. I... I love you, Ria. I always have, and I always will. And I want you to know that I will be here for you and this child... if you want me to be."

"Phil..." Maria bit her bottom lip as she felt more tears form in her eyes, but for a different reason. "I... I love you too... I've never stopped... And yes, I want you with me... us. I want this family..."

"I'll always be here, Ria," Phil assured her, wrapping his hand around hers and holding it securely. "We'll get out of this place and start this family, I promise."

"Thank you..." A broad smile formed on Maria's face as she ran her fingers through his hair. "That means so much to me... I love you, Phil."

"I love you too, Ria." Then, Phil slowly began to lean toward her, and realizing what he had in mind, Maria leaned forward as well and met his lips in a soft, quick kiss as though she was testing out the feeling. They remained close to each other, though, and once they felt that no awkwardness had passed between them, Phil pulled her into another more passionate kiss.

But then, they reluctantly pulled away when they heard the sound of crunching ruble and someone clear their throat. Phil looked over his shoulder while Maria looked down at her feet, and he saw that Shane had come back and was looking at them with an awkward smile on his face. "So, uh... Are you guys ready?" he asked. "The hall is pretty much clear..."

Phil laughed a little as he turned his attention back to Maria, waiting until she raised her gaze to meet his. "What do you say, Ria?" he wondered quietly.

Maria smiled back at him, taking his hand again. "I'll be fine," she told him. The feeling in her stomach had settled down considerably, as had her fears. She wouldn't be alone...

Returning the smile, Phil quickly kissed her again before standing up and helping her to her feet. She put her arm around his neck while he wound his arm around her waist and brought her close. Then, once he was sure she was okay, Phil began to lead her along after Shane, hoping that they could find a way out soon.

* * *

Matt knocked on the door of the room Shane Helms had entered and waited. Jeff was standing beside him, absently playing with the part of his brother's sleeve they had used to hastily wrap the gash on his arm. This did not go unnoticed by the older Hardy.

"We should really get that looked at, Jeffro," Matt muttered, his dark eyes lingering on the exposed part of the injury warily.

Jeff laughed a little as he lowered his hand to leave it alone. "Yeah, well, not much we can do now, is there?" he replied, though he silently agreed with him. His arm was really starting to hurt.

Matt nodded. "True," he said. "Once we get out of here, you're getting it checked out, okay?"

"Already planning on it, Man."

"Good." Then, Matt sighed as he turned his attention back to the door when it still hadn't opened. "Damn it, Shane, come on." He knocked again, only waiting for a couple minutes this time before cursing heatedly under his breath and shoving it open.

The Hardy brothers found their friend sitting on the dust covered bed, merely staring out the window at the dark sky above. Matt slowly entered the room first, closely followed by Jeff, and they cautiously approached the bed.

"Hey, Shane," the older Hardy said, sitting down next to him. "What's up, Man?"

After a moment, Shane slowly turned to look back at him, an unreadable look in his eye. "Nothing," he muttered casually. "Just thinking..."

His eyes narrowed slightly, but before Matt could say anything else, they heard loud cracking and creaking sounds coming from the room around them, and Jeff looked around nervously. "We need to go," he told them in nearly a whisper.

Matt nodded in agreement as he got to his feet, looking at their friend still sitting on the bed. "Shane?"

Shane looked up at them, listening to the threatening noises still happening around them. Finally, he sighed. "All right. Let's get out of here."

* * *

He was going to die.

That was the first thought that ran across John's mind as he looked up into the malicious glint in Evan's eyes. He immediately reached down and began to try to lift the heavy concrete off himself, his mind screaming at him to escape, even though he wasn't having much success. Evan only laughed as he watched him struggle.

"Oh, if they could only see the supposed 'Guru of Greatness' now," he taunted with an almost sinister tone. "Completely helpless..."

John continued to try to free his leg for a few more minutes before stopping, the muscles in his upper body greatly protesting as he tried to catch his breath. He was trapped. But after a moment, he looked up at Evan again, his eyes narrowing angrily. "You son of a bitch," he hissed through his gasps. "You killed Beth-!"

His statement ended in a cry of pain when Evan's foot suddenly flew out and connected with his jaw, and he placed his head down on his hands and closed his eyes tightly as a shooting pain rocked his skull.

Evan then crouched down in front of him, grabbing a handful of John's long hair and yanking his head up forcefully, smiling as he winced at the action. "Beth just couldn't keep her mouth shut, which is how she ended up like _that_." He pushed John's head to the left, forcing him to look at Beth's body, before pulling his head back up to look at him. "And I could easily kill you too..."

"Then do it," John snapped fiercely, his head throbbing. He still couldn't believe that _Evan_, of all people, would do something like this. "Kill me, like the coward you are..."

That seemed to strike a nerve. Evan's eyes flared angrily, and for a moment, John thought that he was going to kill him right then and there. It would be easy enough. Since he was trapped in the rubble, he couldn't put up much of a fight...

But then, the anger on the younger man's face was replaced with an overconfident smirk. "No, John," he muttered with a slight laugh. "I'm not going to kill you. At least, not yet." Evan then roughly shoved John's head back to the floor, causing a gasp of pain to escape the other man, as he got to his feet.

After the pounding in his head settled slightly, John slowly raised it, watching as Evan began to walk around and pick up a couple large pieces of rubble before walking back toward him. He tried to move away from him as much as he could, assuming that he had changed his mind about what he was going to do with him.

Evan paused when he noticed this, smirking down at John. "Don't worry, they're not for you," he told him before walking over to Beth and setting them on her. "I have to make this look like an accident, don't I?"

"Why are you doing this?"

The question once again seemed to hit its mark, and Evan quickly rounded on John, a larger piece of concrete in his hands, anger clear on his face. "Why? _Why_?"

John's eyes widened with fear when Evan stormed over to him, slamming the piece of concrete in front of him before leaning over it, his face inches in front of the older man's. "I'll tell you why," he continued, his tone eerily calm. "I love wrestling. I used to love this company. I called it my home. I know it's hard for you to imagine, but just try to picture this for one moment. You work your ass off for years following your dream. And where does it get you? _Nowhere_! Absolutely _nowhere_! But you don't know what that's like..."

"It's just a storyline, Evan," John tried to reason with him, knowing that he was going through a rough spot in his WWE career. "You know that will change..."

Evan slammed his hand down on the concrete, causing John to cringe. "So I've been told," he muttered, his voice taking on a darker infliction. "But how long do I have to wait, John? Huh? Well, I'm tired of waiting..."

"So we all deserve to die because of your impatience?" John asked, his confidence coming back. "You know, we've had some great matches. I saw potential in you. A lot of it. And you're throwing that all away..."

"Well clearly, that potential isn't good enough!" Evan snapped as he pushed himself to his feet. "I am _tired_ of being left behind while people like you quickly make your way up. That's why I agreed to be a part of this..."

John's eyes narrowed as Evan picked up the piece of concrete and walked over to Beth's limp form again. "You didn't plan any of this?" he wondered. "The bomb..."

Evan smiled and laughed a little. "Me? Oh, no," he answered lightly, placing the large piece behind her head so it looked like that had been what had broken her neck. He straightened up, studying his work. "I just agreed to help out. To finish what the bomb didn't do. Who knew everyone would survive..."

"But who..."

"He's around here somewhere. I'm sure you'll run into him eventually. Or... I should say he'll run into you." Evan turned to John, a smirk spreading across his face. "But by then, it'll be too late."

Many thoughts were running through John's mind, most of them possibilities on who was really behind the bombing. Who would convince Evan to work for him...

Suddenly, John cried out when Evan's foot forcefully collided with his side, bringing him out of his thoughts and leaving him gasping for breath as he laid his head on the ground. However, it was roughly pulled up again when Evan knelt down next to him and grabbed his hair.

"I'll leave you alive, but with you trapped like this, you'll be an easy target," the younger man murmured, smiling at the obvious pain John was in. "And go ahead. If someone should happen to find you, tell them how bad I am. It won't matter. I have my own way out of here. I'll be long gone before you're even discovered. And then, there will be nothing you can do." He smirked, shoving his head down against the ground before he got to his feet. "Goodbye, John."

John wearily watched as Evan began to walk away from him toward the hallway that their small group had been heading toward. He blinked a few times to try to fight the darkness at the corner of his eyes that was threatening to overcome him. He knew Evan's secret, but he also knew that he was right.

There was nothing he could do.

Finally, his eyes became too heavy to hold open any longer, and John's head hit the floor, the darkness taking him as Evan disappeared from sight.

**Author's Note**: So... who's in charge then? Leave your guesses in your reviews! Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey! I'm glad you guys liked the last chapter! Thank you to **elliexhardy**, **Expect-the-Unexpected75**, **ThePinkyPop**, **x0allisonqt0x**, **dumwolf**, **Eric Draven :) **(lol, nice), **hardygirl87**, and **blackbear1020 **for your reviews! I really appreciate them! And you're probably seeing the writing strike going on in the wrestling fandom. Just to let you know, I will _not_ be taking part in it, and I will be getting the next chapter up as soon as possible. Hope you like this one! With crazy Evan on the loose, let's see what happens, shall we?

_Chapter 5_

Vince McMahon stepped off the plane and hurried to the car that was waiting for him to bring him to the site of the bombing. He climbed into the back and shut the door behind him before putting on his seatbelt and signaling to the driver to go.

As they were pulling away, Vince took out his cell phone and once again tried calling Shane, very worried about his son and the others that were all trapped inside. If he could only reach one of them...

But once again, he had no luck when Shane didn't answer.

Vince sighed and put his phone back in his pocket. He wished he could just get a hold of someone to try to see what was going on...

Then, he quickly pulled the phone out again when it began to vibrate. It was an incoming call. He recognized the number, but it wasn't one that he wanted to see.

* * *

"Shane, I swear we've been in this hallway before," Phil muttered, pausing when they rounded another corner. Next to him, Maria was getting tired as she rested her head on his shoulder, and his own body was still sore from the impact of the explosion, and what he felt was the excessive and pointless walking was only making it worse. He recognized this hallway, he was sure of it. The large piece of concrete on their right was where he and Maria had sat when she told him the news about their child...

Ahead of them, Shane sighed as he stopped as well and turned to face them. "Are you sure?" he asked with noticeable frustration. "The halls look pretty much the same... I don't think we've been here yet..."

Phil rolled his eyes. "No, I'm saying it just to confuse you, Shane," he answered sarcastically. "Of _course_ I'm sure! This is where we took our last break. We've been going in circles."

Shane sighed. "Think you can do better then, Phil?" he snapped. "Then fine, you lead for a while and see where we get."

Though there were many things he felt like saying to the younger McMahon, Phil was stopped when Maria place a hand lightly on his cheek. He looked down at her, instantly concerned by how pale her face had gotten. She needed to get out. Sighing, he slowly raised his gaze back up to Shane.

"I just want to get us out of here," Phil told him quietly. Most importantly, he wanted to get Maria out of the collapsing building so she could get medical attention...

Shane shrugged and gestured in the direction that they had been walking, and Phil looked at Maria, making sure that she was all right enough to keep going. When she smiled and nodded, he returned it before they started to walk. Once the couple passed him, the younger McMahon began to follow after them.

But when they came to crossing hallways, stopping to decide when way to go, they all gasped when they heard a loud cracking sound around them. Phil looked around, trying to find the source of the noise. But everything was still, everything was quiet.

Too quiet.

Suddenly, Maria screamed, and Phil quickly looked up, seeing that large pieces of concrete were falling toward them.

* * *

Jay hurried down the hallway, sighing with frustration. Where the hell had Adam disappeared to? Thinking that it would have been easier to search for him on his own, he had left Drew and Taryn behind, planning on going back to them once he found their missing group member.

"Adam?" he shouted, looking around at the dust-filled hallways as he rounded the corner. "Adam!"

Beginning to feel a little nervous, Jay came to a stop when he saw he had reached a dead end. This was the only way Adam could have gone, and he hadn't seen any sign of him. His nerves starting to rise, Jay started to slowly retrace his steps, looking for any sign of his friend or any indication of where he could have possibly went. He had no idea where...

Jay suddenly stopped when something on a small piece of concrete caught his eye, and he knelt down to get a closer look. His heart skipped a beat when he saw that it was a few drops of blood.

Quickly getting to his feet, Jay anxiously pushed on the door, sighing when it wouldn't budge. With a fresh surge of determination, he rammed his shoulder into it, a brief smile crossing his face when it was enough to force it open.

But that smile immediately vanished as soon as he entered the room.

"_Adam_!"

The Rated R Superstar was lying on his back on the bed, and in the moonlight coming in through the window, his face looked pale, and he didn't appear to be moving.

Jay ran over to his friend's side, quickly feeling for a pulse. He sighed with relief when he was able to find one. "Hey, come on, Adam," he said, beginning to shake him. As he looked him over closer, he saw that there was some blood coming from Adam's head, mingling with his blond hair and trailing down the side of his face. "Adam!"

After a moment, Adam's eyes slowly fluttered open, but then he closed them again as he hissed and put his hand to his head. "Ah... Shit..."

"You okay?" Jay sat next to him on the bed as the other man cursed a couple more times under his breath.

"What do you think?" Adam muttered sarcastically, wincing when he propped himself up on one elbow. "Damn it... God, that hurts... Shit..."

Jay sighed, unfazed by his harsh demeanor. "What happened?" he asked. "Why did you leave the group?"

"What is this, twenty questions?" Adam stayed with his eyes closed, hand at his head, for a moment longer before fully sitting up. He quietly groaned when his pounding head protested to the movement, but once the pain subsided slightly, he lowered his hand and looked over at his friend.

"Where were you, Adam?" Jay repeated, once again not intimidated by his attitude.

Adam sighed. "Do I really have to tell you?" he wondered. When Jay nodded, he rolled his eyes. "Okay. So, ever since we left everyone else, I've been feeling really nauseous..." His sentence trailed off when Jay raised an eyebrow. "What? _You're_ the one who told me to tell you."

"You couldn't have said something instead of just disappearing like that?"

"Drew and Taryn were having their little moment," Adam said. "I didn't want to just randomly say, 'excuse me while I go be sick.' Besides, I was planning on being back before you guys even noticed I was gone."

"But... you weren't," Jay replied. "So, what happened?"

"Well, I was on my way back to you guys," Adam explained. "And I heard these sounds behind me, but I didn't really think much of it since it could have just been some rubble falling or something. But then, I realized they were footsteps, so I started to turn around, but I was hit by a piece of concrete or something on the side of my head. The last thing I saw as I hit the ground was someone's shoes. They were black. That's all I remember..."

"So, you didn't see your attacker?" Jay asked.

Adam slowly shook his head. "No..."

Jay sighed, wishing that he would have since it seemed that whoever was responsible for the bomb attack was still inside with them, as Phil had initially said. He couldn't help but wonder if the Straightedge Superstar knew anything about it... "We should get back to Drew and Taryn to warn them," he muttered. "Can you walk?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Adam told him, slowly getting off the bed to prove his point. He paused and put his hand to his head for a moment when the pounding pain came back, but as soon as it passed, he nodded to his friend. "Come on, let's go."

Watching as Adam headed toward the door, Jay slowly got to his feet. But, he paused when he felt what he had put in his pocket pressing against his leg. He glanced down at it for a second before looking up at the other man, and he quickly began to follow after him as they left the room.

* * *

"Shit!"

Evan was furious to see that the exit he had planned to take after the bomb went off was blocked, the better part of the staircase that led down to the door gone due to the explosion. He would have to find another way out and make his escape before anyone found out what he had done.

As Evan began to walk back in the opposite direction, a smirk appeared on his face when he wondered how John was doing. Had anyone found him yet? He knew he would find out when he got back there. But, he also knew that either way, the poor man wouldn't last much longer since he knew too much.

He would make sure of it.

* * *

Jeff and Shane Helms looked up from where they were sitting across from each other in the hallway when Matt came back. "Anything, Man?" the younger Hardy asked. His brother had gone to check to see if the hall they were taking was passable, but Jeff had stayed behind since he had to rewrap the gash on his arm, and Shane had offered to stay behind and help.

Matt sighed as he stopped near them and shook his head. "No, it's completely blocked up ahead," he answered. "We'll have to find another way."

Sighing, Jeff closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall. He had hoped that they had finally found a way out since his arm was only getting more painful, and his fear was that it was getting infected, if it wasn't already.

Shane sighed too, wishing that they would have been able to get Jeff some medical attention as he looked up at Matt. But then, his eyes narrowed slightly when he saw that there was a lay of dust covering the older Hardy's remaining sleeve and that there was a bit of dried blood on his arm.

"You all right, Matt?"

"Hmm?" Seeing where he was looking, Matt looked down at his arm near his wrist also. "Yeah, I tripped when I was going through a smaller rubble pile. Must have scraped it," he muttered, looking at it closer." Then, he shrugged and turned his attention to his brother. "Come on, Jeffro, let's go see if we can find another way out of here so we can get that arm looked at."

"All right." Jeff took Matt's hand when it was offered to him and was pulled to his feet, sighing when he began to walk in the opposite direction. Matt offered his hand to Shane as well, but he decided not to take it as he pushed himself to his feet on his own. He looked at the older Hardy intently for a moment, studying his dark eyes. Matt gave him a small but friendly smile, confused by his friend's actions, before he began to follow his brother. Shane watched him walk for a little bit before sighing, running his hand through his hair before he began to walk the other way away from the Hardys.

* * *

Adam and Jay didn't have to go too far before they ran into Drew and Taryn, who had come to look for them since they were concerned. After assuring them that they were both fine, despite the blood still coming slowly from Adam's head, the group began to search for another way out.

"How's the service hunt going?" Adam asked, looking over at Jay. His friend had taken out his cell phone, hoping to be able to call out.

Jay sighed as he shook his head, putting the phone back in his pocket. "Not good," he answered with frustration. "There's no service at all."

"Well, try again when we get to another area," Adam muttered. "Maybe you'll have more luck."

The four continued on in silence for a while before coming to a wider space that appeared to be the once brightly lit balcony that was over the casino. There were large pieces of rubble everywhere, dust still lingering in the air that led them to believe that something had collapsed only recently.

But what they noticed most was the door on the other end, which could have provided them with a way out.

"Do you think it's passable?" Drew spoke the thought on everyone's mind, not wanting to take a chance with his fiance's life since the landing appeared to be unstable.

"I think so," Adam told him while Jay surveyed the area. "It looks like there are a couple of paths that we could take..."

Suddenly, Taryn's eyes widened in horror and a scream ripped from her throat when she saw a body among the debris, and she covered her face and turned into Drew's chest. The Scotsman wrapped his arms around her and held her close, trying to comfort her as he sadly looked at one of their former coworkers and friends.

Jay and Adam hurried forward and removed the rubble from the face, seeing that it was Beth. The ECW Champion sighed when he didn't feel a pulse, and he gently closed her eyes in eternal slumber.

"She's gone."

Adam sighed as he looked around the debris filled area, shocked at the discovery of Beth. He knew that the bomb had been meant to kill them all, but he had hope after discovering that everyone was alive that they could all somehow make it out...

Then, his eyes narrowed when he thought he saw another form in the dim lighting, and he slowly rose to his feet and walked over to where it was beneath some more rubble. When he reached it, Adam stopped and gasped when he saw it was another body. Because of the long brown hair, he knew immediately that it was John Hennigan.

Adam knelt down beside his friend, brushing some of the hair out of his face before hesitantly placing two fingers on his neck to check for a pulse. He didn't want to be the one to discover another of the people he worked with dead...

But his eyes widened when he felt a light, even, rhythmic movement beneath his fingertips...

"He's alive!" Adam said, seeing with worry that there were larger pieces of rubble trapping John's legs and lower back. "Guys, help me!"

Jay quickly looked up from Beth's lifeless form while Drew released a still shaken Taryn as both men hurried over over to Adam, anxious to do what they could to save anyone they could. The Rated R Superstar worked with Jay to lift the piece off his back while Drew lifted a bit of a smaller one from his legs. Then, Jay and Drew removed the last piece while Taryn slowly started to approach them. Nothing appeared to be broken, but it was hard to tell for sure. No matter what, they knew that walking was going to be difficult for him.

Feeling the sudden loss of weight that had been pinning him down, John groaned as his eyes slowly fluttered open, wincing when he tried to move to look around. His lower back was screaming with pain.

"Hey, take it easy," Adam cautioned, placing his hand on his shoulder to stop him. "What happened, John?"

After a moment of trying to catch his breath, John looked up into the concerned faces of Adam, Jay, and Drew. "We shouldn't have come this way..." he murmured, looking around at the dust-filled landing. "It's not sturdy... A part of the ceiling collapsed..."

"Is that what killed Beth?" Jay asked, having been able to tell that her neck had been broken.

"Beth..." John's eyes widened when he saw her body and suddenly remembered what had happened. "No... Where is he?"

"Who?" Adam was a little confused when he saw the nervous glint in John's eyes. But he also wondered if it had anything to do with whoever had attacked him...

But before John could answer, they heard a loud creaking sound around them, and they knew that the area was just as unsafe as he had said. "Come on, let's get you out of here," Adam muttered, taking John's arm and wrapping it around his neck as he started to help him to his feet. But he paused when John couldn't completely hold back a cry of pain as his back violently protested to the movement.

"Here, let me help." Jay took John's other arm and put it around his neck, working with Adam to help the injured man completely to his feet. "You all right?" He was concerned to see that John was biting hard down on his bottom lip to keep himself from crying out again, his face draining of color.

After a long moment where he didn't say anything, John slowly nodded as he released the breath he had been holding. "Yeah..." he muttered. "Yeah, I'll be fine..."

Drew's gaze saddened when he saw the obvious pain that John was in. He was starting to regret how he had initially blamed the previous Intercontinental Champion for being a part of the bombing when he seemed to be genuinely upset about what had happened to Beth, but also freaked out about something. He just didn't know what.

"Wait... Wasn't Evan in your group too?" Jay suddenly asked, looking around for any sign of the superstar in question.

John's eyes widened slightly at the name as he looked around anxiously, but he didn't say anything. Jay and Adam exchanged a confused glance before looking over at Drew, who shrugged. What had happened to Evan when the ceiling collapsed?

Taryn stayed her safe distance away from the rubble, watching as Adam and Jay carefully began to help John walk through the tall piles, the pain he was feeling not going unnoticed as Drew helped to guide them along the best possible path. She couldn't quite explain it, but there was a feeling she couldn't shake that something was off...

Suddenly, a scream escaped from her when a hand landed on her shoulder from behind.

**Author's Note**: So, okay! That's it for that one. Who attacked Adam? What's up with Helms? Well, you'll have to find out soon! Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Wow! Thanks for the quick reviews, guys! I'm glad you all liked that last chapter! Your reviews mean a lot to me! Thank you to **blackbear1020**, **elliexhardy**, **Expect-the-Unexpected75**, **x0allisonqt0x**, **ThePinkyPop**, **hardygirl87**, and **TFA Bumblebee's Girl** for your reviews! You're the reason that I'm not taking part in this strike (I think it starts today, actually, lol). And yes, I'm here with another chapter since I'm just on a roll with this story, lol! I hope you guys like this chapter! You never know what to expect. Enjoy!

_Chapter 6_

Vince's anxiety rose as the car got closer and closer to the site, his hands clenching tightly on his lap. The call he had gotten from Smackdown's general manager Teddy Long hadn't helped too much, only confirmed that he wouldn't be facing this alone since he was already there waiting for him.

As they turned onto the street that would bring them to the building, the sound of sirens and the smell of smoke became overwhelming as the flashing lights of the emergency vehicles temporarily blinded him. The car parked on the corner since it couldn't get any closer due to the blockades, and the chairman thanked the driver and climbed out, having to go the rest of the way on foot.

"Oh, my God..."

From the moment he had gotten the first phone call and saw the video on the news, he had been thinking about what he would see once he arrived. But nothing he could have done could have prepared him for the actual sight of the bombed building.

The smoke was rising so thickly that it could hardly be seen, and the half that was on the hill looked almost entirely collapsed. The other half that was hanging over the lake was leaning dangerously, and judging by the soft creaking he was hearing, it could easily fall at any moment. He was in disbelief about how everyone inside had survived, but he couldn't have been more grateful.

Vince realized that the sooner he got to the building, the sooner this nightmare would be over for all of them, so he quickly began to walk toward it, almost as if in a trance.

_"Hold on for a little while longer... I'm coming."_

* * *

Shane Helms put his hand to the wall as he walked down the hallway Matt had checked out before. He wasn't sure why he was doing this since his mind was telling him that it was a stupid idea- his friend, he reminded himself, had been the one to tell them that this way was blocked off.

But yet, something in the back of his mind was telling him to check it out anyway, even though a man he trusted had said it wasn't passable. It was just a gut feeling that he couldn't ignore...

He reached the end of the hallway and paused. This was his last chance to pass his feeling off as stupid and unfounded, to turn around and catch up with Matt and Jeff and find a way out of the building. He should go back...

But something kept him from leaving. He had come this far, it would be ridiculous not to at least look just to prove to himself how pointless this had been. With a heavy sigh, Shane took a couple of steps forward and went around the corner.

His eyes widened at what he saw.

* * *

Phil quickly looked up, seeing that large pieces of concrete were falling toward them. He grabbed Maria's arms and pulled her back away from the danger, both of them falling to the ground. Phil covered her protectively while the rubble fell, Maria clinging to him tightly until it stopped. They stayed like that for a moment longer just in case more fell, and then Phil cautiously raised his head to look around. The rubble had missed them by mere inches, and the hallway he had been about to lead them down had been completely blocked off.

"Well, can't go that way," he muttered.

Then, they heard footsteps as Shane quickly approached them. "Are you guys okay?" he asked, crouching down next to them.

"Yeah, Shane, we're fine," Phil answered, turning to look at him. "We'll just have to..."

His sentence slowly trailed off when a hint of black caught his eye under the leg of the younger McMahon's jeans. But before he could look close enough to see what it was, Shane shifted a little so that the pant leg was covering it.

"We'll have to what?" Shane wondered when Phil's hazel eyes moved up to his face.

"Um... we'll have to find another way out, obviously," Phil muttered, shaking his head as he slowly sat up, helping Maria up after him. "You okay, Ria?"

Maria was silent for a moment as she sat with her eyes closed, hand wrapped tightly around his. Concerned, Phil gently placed his hand on her cheek and brushed some of the red hair out of her face. Sighing, Maria opened her eyes at his touch, giving him a small smile.

"It's okay, Phil, I'll be fine," she said softly, kissing his fingers as he lowered his hand. "Don't worry."

The fact that she was telling him not to worry made him worry a little more, but Phil hid it behind a smile of his own as he squeezed her hand. "Okay, Ria," he replied, the iron grip she still had on his hand not going unnoticed. "Let's just get you out of here."

* * *

"So, that arm's getting worse, Jeffro?" Matt asked as the two brothers walked down the hallway together.

"Yeah, it almost feels like it's starting to burn," Jeff answered, wincing a bit as he looked down at the arm in question.

"Let me take a look at it." Matt lifted Jeff's arm once they stopped walking, able to see part of the gash around the newly applied cloth. "I'm glad you got it rewrapped, but we're going to get it looked at as soon as possible."

Jeff nodded in agreement. "Shane's sleeve won't help for too long," he muttered, not usually the type to be concerned about an injury. He looked up to thank their friend again, but his green eyes narrowed when he saw that he wasn't with them. "Where's Shane? I thought he was right behind us. It's not safe to go anywhere alone..."

Matt quickly looked up, his nerves spiking when he saw that the third man wasn't anywhere to be seen. He sighed, running his hand through his long black curls.

"Damn it, Shane..."

* * *

Teddy Long stood outside of the bombed hotel while waiting for the WWE chairman, sighing as rescue people rushed around him anxiously. In his opinion, they were taking much too long to go inside. There were thirteen superstars in that building, thirteen men and women that he had grown to know well over the years and cared about that were trapped inside, and if it were up to him, he would have been sending people inside to get them out as soon as he could.

But he also knew that it was dangerous. Since nearly the entire building had collapsed in the explosion, it was difficult to find a somewhat safe way inside, and even harder to find a way to get people out. He knew it took planning, but he still felt that it was taking too long.

Teddy sighed again, looking over his shoulder. Not seeing any sign of Vince yet, he turned his attention back to the building in front of him. "Damn it," he muttered to no one in particular. "Who would do something like this?"

* * *

Taryn screamed when the hand landed on her shoulder from behind, Drew immediately turning to look over at her with worry.

"Hey, Taryn, it's okay. It's just me."

Recognizing his voice, Taryn smiled at the man that had walked around to stand in front of her. "You're okay!" she exclaimed, hugging him tightly. "We were worried about you since no one knew where you were."

Evan smiled as he quickly hugged her back. "Yeah, I'm fine," he told her, glancing over at the four men that were with her. "Just making sure that there was a way out from here. Not much luck." His eyes landed on John, who was being supported by Jay and Adam, giving him a small smirk. John's gaze flickered nervously, but he didn't say a word.

However, the silent message that passed between them did not go unnoticed. Adam looked from Evan to John and back, his eyes narrowing slightly. Jay glanced down at the new arrival's feet, noticing that his shoes were black.

"Glad to see that you're all okay," Evan continued, his eyes still staring intently at John as he walked toward them with Taryn behind him. "Glad someone else survived the ceiling collapsing. Such a pity about Beth..."

When Evan approached the group, Adam and Jay were surprised when John immediately began to try to back away. "Hey, what's up, Man?" the Rater R Superstar said, trying to keep him in place since the action was causing him obvious pain. "It's just Evan-!"

"He killed Beth," John said quickly, still trying to put as much distance between him and Evan as possible. At that moment, he really didn't care what Evan would do to him now that he was letting the secret out. There were more of them than him, and they had to know. "The son of a bitch is a part of this. He killed her..."

But Evan only laughed at the accusation. "Are you sure you didn't hit your head on the rubble or something, John?" he asked, smiling as he shook his head. "Why would I do something like that?"

"Why don't you tell us?" John replied, his voice taking on a fiercer tone since he knew Evan would be trying to convince the others that he was innocent. "Why don't you explain to them how we all deserve to die because of your selfishness?"

Though no one was quite sure if they believed what the Shaman of Sexy was saying, the tension of the possibility was definitely felt. Taryn began to take a couple of steps away from Evan while Adam looked at the younger man in disbelief. It couldn't have been him...

Evan sighed as he glanced at Jay, seeing that the older man was glaring at him. "I... I have no idea what you're talking about..."

"You know, I'm going to have to agree with John on this one," Drew suddenly spoke up, crossing his arms as he took a couple of steps closer to Evan. "A little suspicious, don't you think? You weren't here when we arrived, and suddenly, you show up again, unharmed, when we are all here. Where were you from after the ceiling fell until now? Where did you go, full well knowing that you were leaving two of your friends behind, possibly dead? To me, that says a lot..."

Not having an answer to the Scotsman's questions, Evan sighed and turned to look at John again, an expression of pure rage passing over his face. Adam narrowed his eyes back at him, taking a step in front of the injured man. Something definitely wasn't right...

But when Evan turned back to Drew, that anger was gone, a calm smile in its place. "Yes," he said simply.

Drew narrowed his eyes in confusion, wary of the change in attitude. "Yes what?"

Instead of giving an answer, Evan's hand suddenly flew forward and struck Drew's face. The man fell to the floor, feeling blood on his cheek since the small piece of sharp concrete Evan held in his hand had cut into his skin. Taryn began to run toward him, but she was stopped by Evan grabbing her arm and pulling her back, the edge of the piece of concrete he had hit Drew with resting against her throat.

"Yes, I killed Beth," Evan told them, Taryn whimpering in his hold when he pressed the rubble a bit harder against her neck. "And I'm going to kill her too." He then turned his attention to the other man that had been in his group when they had separated, the grin on his face giving his eyes a malicious tint. "Be grateful that you got to live a little longer, John, because you're next."

Drew began to push himself up, trying to find a way to catch Evan off guard and get Taryn to safety. But Evan noticed the movement out of the corner of his eye, and he glared angrily down at him. "Don't move!" he demanded, kicking the Scotsman forcefully in the side of the head. Taryn screamed when he fell back to the floor, his eyes closed, the sound ending in a terrified whimper when Evan turned back to her. "Shut up!"

Adam narrowed his eyes angrily at the younger superstar. He still couldn't believe that Evan was actually a part of everything that had happened to them, but he also knew that no one else was going to die by his hand. Though John was injured and Drew appeared to have been knocked out, they still outnumbered him two to one. He and Jay could handle him easily enough...

But then, Adam narrowed his eyes when Jay slipped out from under John's arm, having to support his entire weight. "Jay, what are you doing?" he hissed, watching as the other man quickly walked straight toward Evan and Taryn. That wasn't going to help. If anything, it would get her killed.

Evan glared at the older man when he stopped in front of him, pushing the concrete harder against Taryn's neck. "I'll kill her!" he shouted fiercely, ignoring her gasp of pain.

Jay only gazed back at him intently, an unreadable expression on his face. For one tense moment, time seemed to drag on incredibly slowly as the two men simply stared each other down, neither one moving a muscle.

Then, Jay laughed quietly, a small smile spreading across his face as he shook his head. "You made a big mistake tonight, Kid," he muttered, reaching for something in his pocket.

What happened next happened so quickly that it was almost a blur. Jay lunged his arm forward, and Evan cried out in pain, the piece of concrete dropping from between his fingers. Taryn took advantage and pushed her way out from under his arm, dropping down next to her fiance. "Drew. Drew..." she muttered, shaking him anxiously.

After a moment, Drew's eyes slowly fluttered open, and she smiled with relief when he looked up at her as she pulled his head close to her chest and held him securely. Drew sighed and closed his eyes again, wrapping his arms lightly around her.

Evan stumbled back and fell to the floor, a pocketknife sticking out of his chest. Jay slowly walked over to him, crouching down next to him and smiling as he looked into the younger man's pained expression. After a few more agonizing moments, the sounds of his gasps for air stopped and his eyes closed, his head limply hitting the floor.

Adam watched the man he considered to be his best friend with wide, terrified eyes as he grabbed the handle and pulled the knife out, wiping the blade clean of Evan's blood on his shirt. "Jay..."

Though his name had come out as hardly more than a whisper, it was loud enough for Jay to hear as he got to his feet, glancing at his reflection in the shimmering blade before turning to look at Adam, a dark grin on his face. "What?" he said, his cold eyes moving to the shocked John as he twirled the knife between his fingers. "Evan had to pay for his mistake of keeping John alive. I can't have him ruining anything else... can I?"

**Author's Note**: Okay, just out of curiosity, who saw this twist coming? Well, I did say that you'll never know what to expect, lol. Looks like we know another guilty party. You'll have to stick around to see what happens! Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Guys, you are awesome! Thank you so much to **elliexhardy**, **Hailey Egan**, **hardygirl87**, **blackbear1020**, **ThePinkyPop**, **x0allisonqt0x**, and **purplelygoodnes** (for ALMOST catching up, lol!) for your reviews! I'm glad you're all enjoying it so much and that you didn't see the twist with Christian. That means I'm doing my job right with keeping you on your toes, lol! Um, hmm, I guess all I can say is what I said last time. Expect anything. And enjoy!

_Chapter 7_

Vince quickly made his way through the mass of emergency workers up to where Teddy Long was standing, placing his hand lightly on his shoulder so he wouldn't startle him too badly. "Hey, I'm here," he muttered. "Any news or anything?"

"No, Man," Teddy replied quietly with a sigh. "They're still trying to find a way in. I just hope they do so soon. The building looks like it could fall at any moment."

Sighing, Vince put his hand to his head for a minute. "We need to get them out of there," he muttered, shaking his head when he looked back up at the building. "With that psychopath in there..."

"Hey." Teddy placed his hand on the chairman's arm, trying to calm him down. "We'll get through this. This man won't win."

Vince slowly nodded after a long moment. "You're right," he muttered. "You're right..."

Teddy smiled when he saw that the other man now seemed to be calmer. He knew that whoever had bombed the hotel had successfully gotten to Vince, but he also knew that the WWE chairman needed a collected head to proceed. And even though he was worried about the people inside, he couldn't imagine what it must have been like to have a son trapped in the building...

Then, Vince stiffened when his phone began to vibrate from his pocket. He pulled it out, Teddy watching him nervously, and saw that it was a blocked number. He knew who it must have been.

_"Coward,"_ he thought as he quickly answered the call. "What do you want, you son of a bitch?"

There was confident laughter on the other end at his angry tone. _"You're losing, Vince. Two are dead. More to come if you don't hurry."_

Vince's heart nearly stopped. Two _dead_? "Who are they?" he demanded fiercely. "What do you want from me?"

_"Everything."_

That was all that was said before the line went dead.

* * *

Matt rounded a corner and stopped, sighing when he saw that Shane was still nowhere to be seen. He wondered where his friend had gone off to, and more importantly, why he had left on his own in the first place. Jeff had been right in saying that it wasn't safe alone, and he wanted to find him soon.

But to find the missing Shane, he had separated from his brother since with both of them looking, one of them was bound to find him quicker. There were only so many places he could go in the area they were in.

"Come on, Shane... Where are you?"

* * *

Phil looked down at Maria, who was leaning against him with his arm wrapped around her. Her face was still pale, her eyes closed in a light sleep. He sighed, running his hand up and down her back as he leaned his head back against the wall and closed his own eyes. He didn't want to say anything since he didn't want to worry Maria and Shane probably wouldn't have cared much, but his enter body hurt with every movement. A pounding headache had formed and breathing was a bit difficult for him, two things that he was going to keep to himself.

"Are you okay, Phil?"

Surprised by the sudden quiet voice, Phil looked down at Maria again, seeing that she had woken up and was looking at him with exhausted but concerned eyes. "Your breathing feels forced," she added when he met her gaze.

Phil gave her a small smile. "I'm fine, Ria, don't worry about it," he told her. "I'm more concerned about you. How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay."

The answer was a simple one, but it was one that Phil wasn't sure he believed. She definitely didn't look okay. She seemed to be far from it. "If you're sure, Ria..."

Maria smiled up at him, but the pain in her eyes didn't go unnoticed. Instead of saying anything more, she leaned forward and met Phil's lips in a gentle kiss. Phil returned it, pulling her a little closer. They stayed like that for a moment before reluctantly parting, Maria running her fingers lightly over his face.

"I love you," she whispered.

Phil took her hand as she lowered it, holding it securely. "I love you too."

Then, they both looked up when Shane approached them, shutting his cell phone and putting it back in his pocket. "Was one bar of service enough?" Phil wondered, knowing the younger McMahon had a little bit of reception in the area they had stopped at.

"Yeah, it was enough," Shane answered with a sigh. "I tried calling my dad, but the line was busy..."

Phil nodded. "That sucks," he muttered, tightening his arm around Maria. "I think we need to keep moving now, though. The sooner we get out of here, the better."

Shane looked down at Maria, his eyes taking in her pale face and exhausted eyes. "Yeah," he agreed, looking up and down the hall. "Let's get her out of here."

* * *

Jeff walked down a different hallway than the one Matt had taken, stopping with a sigh to catch his breath. He didn't like splitting up with his brother, but he did agree with him that it would be easier to find their missing friend. Where had Shane gone, and why had he left to begin with? He didn't understand it...

The younger Hardy sighed and leaned against the wall, moving the cloth around to get a better look at the gash on his arm. It was stinging terribly, and he knew that he had to get it looked at soon...

Suddenly, a hand landed on Jeff's arm from behind him, and he gasped and quickly turned around to face his attacker. His body relaxed as he let out a sigh of relief when he saw that it was Shane. "Don't do that, Man," Jeff muttered, a slight laugh escaping him. "Where'd you run off to?"

"I... just wanted to check something out," Shane explained quietly, not really able to meet the other man's gaze.

Jeff's eyes narrowed as he looked at his friend, having the feeling that he wasn't telling him something. "Well, I think we should go find Matt..."

"No!"

The younger Hardy was shocked by the outburst when Shane reached forward and grabbed his uninjured arm. "What is it, Shane?"

Shane sighed, looking at him hesitantly. "There's something that you need to see."

* * *

Adam stared at Jay, his eyes wide in disbelief. He couldn't believe that this man, his best friend, was partly responsible for the bomb attack. The man who he considered to be a brother to him had almost killed him and the others who were staying in the hotel...

Jay laughed a little as he stopped twirling the knife. What's the matter, Adam?" he asked cheerfully when he saw the hurt expression on his face. "Mad that I didn't tell you that I was a part of this little operation?"

"No," Adam answered quietly with a shake of his head. "I just can't believe you're a part of this at all..."

John looked at him with concern. Jay's allegiance was shocking to all of them, but he knew no one was impacted by it more than the Rated R Superstar since he and the ECW Champion were so close.

"Well, you don't know me at all then, do you?" Jay's sinister smile made a cold chill run down Adam's spine, and all he could do was lower his gaze. He thought back to when they had been a tag team, having been best friends ever since. Did he really not know the other man at all when he had thought he knew him so well?

Jay laughed again at Adam's silence as he turned his attention to Drew and Taryn, who were still sitting together on the floor. He smirked as he watched her tend to her fiance, dabbing at the cut on his cheek with a piece of her sleeve she had torn off. "Hmm, since I have to do what I can... I think I'll start with you two."

Drew quickly looked up when Jay approached them, knife in hand, and pushed Taryn behind him protectively. His head throbbed at the sudden movement, and he closed his eyes for a moment at the sharp pain. Before he realized what was happening, the older man had grabbed onto a handful of his hair and pulled him forcefully upward, the cool blade resting gently against his throat. John tried to take a step forward to help him, but the intense pain in his back wouldn't let him. He cursed quietly while he waited for it to stop, knowing that Drew's only chances were to get himself away or if Adam snapped out of his shock.

The Scotsman looked up into Jay's deranged eyes fearfully, wincing when the knife cut into his skin a little.

"Stop!" Taryn reached forward and grabbed Jay's leg, tears streaming from her eyes. "Please don't do this, Jay... Please..."

Jay angrily looked down at her, kicking her away from him before turning his attention back to Drew. A small smirk appeared on his face, causing a malicous glint to enter his eyes, as he tightened his fingers around the knife handle...

"Leave them alone, Jay."

At the sound of the sudden firm voice, Jay turned away from Drew again and saw that Adam was glaring at him, anger burning in his eyes. "Leave them alone," he repeated, his tone harsh. "You can do whatever you want to me for your little operation, just let them go." If his motivations were anything like Evan's selfish ones, he knew he would make the ideal target in Jay's mind. The others didn't deserve to die too. Jay had been his best friend. It was his problem... not theirs.

Jay looked at him thoughtfully as he considered his words, but he didn't release his hold on the younger superstar or remove the knife from his throat.

"I'm assuming you're angry with Vince and the WWE or something, right?" Adam continued, looking at the other man nervously as he tried to figure out the best way to proceed without anyone else getting hurt. "Not getting what you want? People getting in your way? Think about it. What good would killing Drew do? He's no threat to you." He paused, seeing that Jay seemed to be carefully thinking about what he was saying. John looked at the Rated R Superstar nervously, realizing what he was getting at.

"You want someone who's higher up so you can really make an impact," Adam concluded, sighing heavily at what he was doing. "Someone like me. You saw that crowd tonight... Take me if you have to, Jay, but let them go."

Taryn looked up at the older man fearfully while Drew glanced over at him in disbelief. After another moment of weighing out his options, a smile spread across Jay's face as he shoved the young Scotsman to the ground. Taryn quickly crawled over to him to make sure he was okay, hugging him tightly when she saw that he was.

Aware that the cold eyes of the man he had called his best friend were watching him intently, Adam turned his attention to the couple. "Drew, I need you to take John for me," he muttered, ignoring the shocked look that the A-Lister was giving him.

"Adam, you can't-!" John's protest was cut off by a quick glare from the Rated R Superstar.

"Come on, Drew."

Drew looked up at him for a moment before sighing, hesitantly getting to his feet and walking over to them. He took John's arm and put it around his neck, taking him and looking at the other man sadly. "Adam, I don't think this is a good idea..."

Noticing that Jay was getting angrier as more time was wasted, Adam sighed. "I'll be fine," he told him with a small but hopefully encouraging smile. He kept his tone confident, though deep down, he felt completely opposite. "Just get John and Taryn out of here while you still can. Don't worry about me."

"But, we could help you-!"

"I said _go_, Drew!" Adam suddenly snapped fiercely, his eyes flaring. Drew took a small step back, John sighing heavily. When Adam was angry enough, bits of Edge tended to slip through, and when that happened, he knew better than to argue with him.

"Drew, come on, let's go," John muttered sadly. Though he wasn't happy with leaving his friend behind with a psychopath, he knew that at the moment, they really had no choice.

Knowing that to argue would be pointless, Drew sighed and nodded as he reluctantly began to lead John away from the older man. "Come on, Taryn," he said softly, waiting for his fiance. She quickly got to her feet and rushed over to them, putting John's other arm around her shoulders to help support him as they started to lead him along.

Adam watched as the three of them walked in the direction they had come from since Jay was blocking the way to the door they had been trying to get to, his gaze darkening sadly as he sighed heavily. He was glad they were getting another chance to escape since he was fully accepting the possibility that he may not be walking away from this confrontation with the man he used to call his best friend.

Jay laughed quietly, bringing Adam out of his thoughts. When he turned back to look at him, he was surprised to see the smirk lighting up his face. "What?"

"They won't get far," Jay muttered casually, twirling the knife a couple times again. "He'll find them soon..."

"He?" Adam asked, not liking the cold tone of his voice.

The ECW Champion smirked, realizing that his words had the desired effect. "The one who planned all of this," Jay explained. "You really didn't think I was the one in charge, did you? I'm just along for the ride."

Adam's eyes widened in horror at the statement. There was someone else who was behind it. But who... He quickly turned to look over his shoulder, hoping that he could warn Drew, John, and Taryn, but he cursed heatedly under his breath when he saw they were already out of sight...

Then, Adam whirled around when he heard footsteps quickly approaching, and he gasped when he saw Jay running at him, knife held high. In his eyes was the intent to kill.

**Author's Note**: First off, poor Edge! More on them to come. And there are two bad guys left. Who are they? Well... You guys tell me! Leave your guesses in your reviews! Hope you liked it! Thanks for reading. Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey! Thanks to **x0allisonqt0x**, **Hailey Egan**, **elliexhardy**, and **purplelygoodnes** (your reviews made me laugh SO hard!) for your reviews! Glad to see I'm keeping you on the edge of your seats! Though this story is nearing the end, there are plenty of surprises and twists still in store. So... read on!

_Chapter 8_

Teddy Long sighed as he looked at Vince, who was staring at the building in front of them in complete shock. "What did he say?" the general manager asked quietly, though he wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

It took a long moment for Vince to slowly tear his eyes away from the collapsed hotel and look at the other man. "He said... that two were dead... more to come," he answered in nearly a whisper. "He didn't tell me who..."

His own gaze darkening with sorrow, Teddy turned back to look at the building. Two superstars were dead... It was something he couldn't wrap his mind around. His heart dropped, having to wonder who they were.

Then, they both looked up when a police officer approached them. "Some news media just arrived," he said. "We're trying to hold them back, but I think if we had one of you to update them, it'll be easier."

"Well, we really don't know anything, but I'll do what I can," Teddy told him, knowing that Vince wasn't in the condition to talk to anyone. He looked back at the WWE chairman sadly, placing his hand on his shoulder in a hopefully comforting way before following the officer to face the media and tell them what he knew.

Nothing.

Vince hardly noticed that Teddy had left, his eyes only remaining on the building in front of him, which was lit a little better since the early morning light was beginning to gently touch the sky. Two of his superstars were dead, and he had no way of knowing who or if there was a possible way inside. All he knew was that he had to find a way to stop the same from happening to someone else...

Then, his phone began to vibrate again, signaling that he had an incoming call. Fearing the worst, Vince pulled it out and hesitantly looked down at the flashing screen.

However, he was confused to see that it was a name he hadn't been expecting. He quickly flipped the phone open and answered the call. "Steph?"

_"Dad, what's going on?"_ Stephanie McMahon asked anxiously. _"Paul turned on the news and told me that a hotel rumored to have WWE stars inside was bombed..."_

Vince sighed heavily, able to hear the fear in his daughter's voice. "That rumor is true," he muttered, not wanting to lie to her.

_"Oh, my God... Who's inside?"_

Before Vince could answer, he heard an angry voice in the background that he recognized to belong to the superstar known as Triple H. _"It's true?! Tell him I'm going out there..."_

Stephanie's voice came back on. _"Calm down, Paul, that's not going to help,"_ she told him. _"Lower your voice or you'll wake the kids. Besides, I'm sure everything that can be done is already being done."_

"It is," Vince stepped in before an argument could erupt between the couple. "Tell Paul to stay with you. He'll be needed there more."

There was a pause on the other end. _"Dad... what aren't you telling me?" _Stephanie asked quietly. _"Who's trapped inside?"_

"Mainly some people from the Smackdown and ECW rosters," Vince explained. "Uh, Evan's there too, I believe, and Jeff's visiting. And... Shane."

_"Shane? Our Shane?"_

"Yes. Steph, I'm sorry, I'm doing what I can..."

_"Wait... What is Shane doing there?" _Stephanie asked, seeming to be confused. _"He told me that he wasn't going to go again until next week."_

Vince felt his stomach tighten until it was painful as he slowly looked back at the building. If what she said was true, Shane wasn't supposed to be there...

But then, he heard a quiet beep that signaled he was getting another call. "Listen, someone's calling in," he said. "Just try not to worry, Steph, and I'll keep you and Paul updated. Okay?"

_"Okay, Dad. Thank you," _Stephanie replied. _"Bye."_

"Bye, Steph." The chairman ended the call with his daughter and quickly answered the second, having a good idea of who it was without even looking at the screen. "Hello?"

_"Would you like to save the rest of your superstars?" _

Vince sighed, wishing that he could pick out that voice. Every time he heard it, despite the distortion, it sounded more and more familiar... "Yes." Though his answer was simple, it was to the point.

There was a small laugh on the other end. _"Then this is what you have to do."_

* * *

John sat against the wall in the hallway with Taryn beside him while they waited for Drew to come back from looking for the best route for them to take, repeatedly tossing a small piece of concrete in the air and catching it as he blankly stared at the wall across from him. He was still shocked about everything that had just happened. Not only had Evan been involved in the plot, but Jay as well. And now, they had left Adam, who had offered to stay behind so they could have the chance to escape, against a psychopath...

Feeling a sudden surge of anger at his helplessness, John forcefully threw the piece of rubble at the other wall, watching as it made a small chip on contact before falling to the floor. Taryn gasped, startled, as she watched him lean forward and run his hand through his hair.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"We shouldn't have left Adam," John answered in a frustrated mutter. "I mean, there are more of us than Jay. We could have done _something_..."

Taryn looked at him sadly, placing her hand gently on his arm. "There wasn't much we could have done," she told him. "You're hurt, and I couldn't have done anything against Jay. Besides, Adam wouldn't let us..."

John gave her a small smile, which she returned. "I know," he said quietly, though he still wished he could have done more. "Thanks, Taryn."

"Sure." Taryn sighed as she leaned back against the wall, looking up at the ceiling. "And Adam can handle himself. He'll be fine."

"Yeah." John sighed as he looked up at the ceiling as well. "I hope you're right."

"Me too." Taryn bit her bottom lip nervously as she thought about their friend. Though she tried to act confident, she was also very worried about the Rated R Superstar. She continued to tell herself that he would be okay, but she had no idea of knowing for sure. She could only hope that things would turn out all right.

Then, they both looked up when they heard footsteps, and Drew came around the corner with a small smile on his face. "Good news," he told them. "Just got a text from Helms. He said he knows a way out."

* * *

After what felt like endless walking, Phil felt like he couldn't continue. His body was protesting to every step he took, his lungs burning and his head pounding. It was almost unbearable.

But the reason he kept going was for the woman who was hardly able to walk beside him, the woman he loved who was carrying his child. She was the most important thing to him, and he would keep going for her until his body gave out.

Maria looked over at Phil in concern, able to tell by the clear exhaustion in his hazel eyes that he was struggling to try to keep up with Shane, who was again at his phone, but she didn't question him about it. She knew that he would just brush her concern aside and tell her that he was all right, and she was tired of hearing that answer.

Not to mention she was worried about what was happening to her as well. Her stomach was feeling a bit off again, and she didn't want to put any more strain on her body than what was absolutely necessary. She knew she needed to stop again, and she could tell that she wasn't the only one.

"Phil, I need a break," Maria whispered as she stopped walking.

Concerned, Phil stopped as well as he looked down at her when she leaned against him, but he was also inwardly grateful. She wasn't the only one who needed to stop. "Hey, Shane, give us a few minutes, okay?" he called ahead since the man with them hadn't stopped. "Shane!"

"Hold on, be right back."

The Straightedge Superstar's eyes narrowed with annoyance when the younger McMahon only continued to keep going without really a second thought. "Bastard..."

"Hey." Maria placed her hand lightly on Phil's cheek, smiling when he met her gaze. "It's okay. Don't worry about him. He's not worth it. Besides, you heard him. He'll be right back."

Phil sighed, a smile slowly appearing on his own face. "You're right," he muttered, kissing her quickly.

Maria laughed a little before looking behind him, sighing as she smiled. "Look at that sunrise, Phil," she said softly. "Isn't it beautiful?"

Turning to see what she was looking at, Phil saw through a hole in the wall that the sun was just beginning to rise, casting a gentle light into the hotel, and he had to admit that it was beautiful. After all that had happened that night, he was grateful that he was able to see another sunrise.

"We'll get out of here, Ria," he promised in nearly a whisper, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close to him as he rested his chin on top of her head. "We're going to make it."

* * *

Adam's eyes widened with fear as Jay ran at him with the knife held high, seeing the rage burning in his eyes. He took a couple of steps back and put his arm up to try to shield his face, crying out in pain when the blade sunk deeply into his skin. He held his arm close to him, wincing when the knife cut across his cheek. Adam stumbled back away from the other man, tripping over a larger piece of rubble and falling into a small pile of debris.

Jay laughed a little as he slowly approached him, watching as Adam writhed in pain on the floor. "Are you really just going to sit there and take it, Adam?" he asked, a smirk appearing on his face. "That's a shame, I expected more of a challenge out of you. I thought this would be more fun..."

"Why would I give you that satisfaction?" Adam snapped through gritted teeth, looking down at the gash on his right arm. He may have been feeling betrayed by the man, but he wasn't going to hurt his best friend. "You don't deserve that..."

His eyes narrowing angrily, Jay forcefully kicked the other man in the side, leaving him coughing and gasping for breath. He then began to circle around him, his eyes shining cruelly at the man who had once been his best friend's pain. "Not in the mood, huh, Adam?" he said, crouching down next to him and tilting his head up with the cool knife blade. "What happened to the man that used to be my tag team partner, huh? Always had something to say..."

Adam glared up at him. "Damn you," he hissed angrily. "How was that, Jay? Enough for you?"

Surprisingly, Jay only smirked at the heated statement. "Same old, same old," he muttered, removing the knife and allowing his head to drop back to the floor. "You just don't understand..."

"Maybe I would if understand if you explained it to me," Adam told him, watching as he began to walk away from him. "Why are you doing this, Jay? You have a lot going for you right now. You're ECW Champion, people love you..."

Jay paused and turned too look back at him. "And what exactly does that mean?" he demanded, startling Adam with the sudden intensity. "I've had it for a long time, yes, but it doesn't mean as much as other championships. It's just a belt to me. It means nothing."

The other man opened his mouth to say something, but Jay continued on before he could. "When I came back to WWE, I was expecting to be put somewhere great and really make a name for myself. Instead, I get stuck on the half-ass ECW. Meanwhile, you came back after months of absence because of injury, get a generous welcome on Smackdown, and are immediately put in range for a shot for the World Heavyweight Championship." He paused, twirling the knife in his fingers a couple times as he gathered his thoughts. "But it's not just about the worthless belt. We were an amazing tag team together, Adam, dominating and creating never-before-seen matches. And yet when we were split up... You go on a rise to fame. Yeah, I've had some good stuff happen to me... but not nearly what I deserved. Not like you. That's why I agreed to help with this plan..."

Adam found that he couldn't say anything to this, so he didn't say a word as he simply lowered his gaze. The man in front of him wasn't his best friend anymore. He was a man that he didn't recognize, driven by selfishness and greed. He was no longer the man he used to know, the man he called his brother. He had become a completely different person.

Jay looked down at him for a moment before he laughed at his silence. "Of course you have nothing to say," he muttered. "I shouldn't have expected anything different. It's always been all about you..."

At the last statement, Adam angrily looked up at the other man. "What?!"

"Oh, did I hurt your feelings?" Jay smirked down at Adam. "Well, I'm sorry... But you don't care about anyone else but your own career. We were best friends, Adam. Don't you care about that?"

Adam's eyes flared angrily up at him. "I'm not the one who agreed to help blow up a building because I wasn't getting my way," he snapped. "You have the nerve to say _I _don't care when _you're_ the one that betrayed _me_? Jay, if I didn't care about anyone else, do you really think that I would have given you _myself_, knowing full well that I may not walk away, to stop you from killing Drew or Taryn or John? You're crazy..."

Jay smirked, realizing that he was starting to get under his former tag team partner's skin. "You're just like me, you know that, Adam? Trying to play the hero and looking for the glory you feel you deserve..."

The Rated R Superstar growled angrily, and Jay could see that Edge was starting to slip through. "I am nothing like you!" he said fiercely.

"Then prove it!" Jay shouted, his own eyes flaring. "Fight back instead of being the coward you are! Show me I'm wrong!"

That was all the taunting he needed. Despite the pain in his ribs and the blood running down his cheek and arm, Adam pushed himself to his feet and lunged at the other man. Jay took a couple of steps back, but Adam was right with him, punching him in the jaw.

He wasn't his best friend...

He punched him a second time.

He wasn't his brother...

Jay stumbled back again, putting his hands up to push him away.

He wasn't...

Suddenly, Adam stopped his assault, his eyes widening with shock from the intense pain. Jay cautiously opened his eyes when he didn't feel another attack from his once best friend, wondering why he had stopped. His eyes widened and he gasped when the reason was suddenly very clear.

In his effort to protect himself, he hadn't realized that the knife had still been open in his hand, and when he had put his hands out defensively, the blade had embedded itself deep into Adam's side.

* * *

"Why are we here, Shane?" Jeff wondered as he looked at the hallway in front of them. "This is where most of our rooms were, big deal."

Shane looked over at Jeff with a sigh. "This was the hallway that Matt checked out earlier and said was impassable since this was the only way he could have gone," he muttered. "And as you can see, there's hardly any rubble. Oh, and the best part..." He left Jeff's side and sprinted down to the other end of the hallway, pulling open a door.

"We all went the wrong way," Shane concluded grimly. "There's an emergency exit right here that's pretty much intact. We could have gotten out."

Jeff stared at his friend in disbelief. There was an exit that had been safe to use the entire time? He couldn't believe it as he tried to rack his brain about who had led them away from this area. Something wasn't right...

But the main thought on his mind was why Matt had lied to him and said the hallway wasn't cleared when it actually was, especially when he needed medical attention. Had he known about the exit? Why hadn't he-!

Jeff's racing thoughts were suddenly cut off when something heavy hit him in the back of the head. Shane watched with worry as the younger Hardy brother fell to the ground before he moved his gaze to the man who had snuck up behind him and attacked him with a small piece of concrete.

His heart raced anxiously when he found himself looking into the dark, cruel eyes of Matt Hardy.

**Author's Note**: Gonna try to do a peppy note for **x0allisonqt0x**, lol! Okay! So, there was an exit there the entire time... And Matt? Did anyone see that coming? Lol. And what about Adam? Only hoping that he's going to be okay... What do you guys think? Let me know! Thanks for reading! Your reviews are greatly appreciated. Thank you!


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey! Thanks to **elliexhardy**, **hardygirl87**, **purplelygoodnes**, **Hailey Egan**, **x0allixonqt0x**, **SILENTMUSINGS**, **ThePinkyPop**, **I luv miss Jeff and Edge**, and **dumwolf **for your reviews! They really mean a lot to me! And I'm sorry for the bit of a wait, but hopefully, this will make it up because this chapter is _long_, lol. Don't think any of you will mind, though. And also a special shoutout to my awesome friend **purplelygoodnes**! Though this is a day late, this is for her nineteenth birthday! Love you, girl! And to all of you, hope you enjoy this extra long chapter, lol! And the mastermind is...

_Chapter 9_

There was one exit in the hotel that was safe enough to use, and that was where he had been told to go. Vince hurried around the side of the hotel, making sure that he was alone, to the emergency exit the psycho path had told him to go to.

However, he hadn't been given any other instructions, and Vince sighed heavily as he stopped in front of the door, seeing that the frame appeared to be very unsteady since the door was practically off its hinges.

But no matter how much he wanted to just run inside and start pulling everyone out himself, he knew that he couldn't since that would endanger them. All he could do at that moment was wait.

* * *

Shane Helms looked at Matt, his stomach tightening painfully. He was one of his best friends... He couldn't believe that he was involved with the plot to blow up the hotel.

"You all right there, Shane?" Matt asked, a cruel smile forming on his face as he began to walk toward the other man. "You look a little pale..."

"Stay away, Man." Shane backed up a little, feeling dread course through him when he ran into the wall. He glanced at the door to his right, his first instinct to run. But then he looked at the younger Hardy, struggling to push himself to his knees, and he realized that he couldn't leave him behind with his crazy brother.

Then, he gasped when Matt stepped into his line of vision, still slowly approaching him. "What are you so freaked out about?" he wondered. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Shane knew better, knowing that he would do worse if he had the chance. He sighed heavily, hoping that he could distract Matt long enough for Jeff to be able to get out. "I take it that blood on your arm isn't from tripping on some rubble in this hallway," Shane muttered. "After all, there's not muchto fall over."

Matt smirked as he glanced down at the thin line of dried blood on his arm. "Nope, that would belong to one Adam Copeland when I saw him hanging around by himself," he told him, brushing some of the dust still lingering on his sleeve onto his black shoes. "I'm sure he'll have a headache for a while yet..."

"All I want to know is why, Man," Shane continued quietly as Matt got closer. "Why would you do this and risk hurting the people you care about?"

This question made Matt pause for a minute, which is what he had been hoping for. "Well, let's see, Evan and I were recruited together," he began to explain, smiling when he saw the fear pass across the other man's face. "Didn't expect that, huh? Well, we agreed to do this for the same reason. I work my ass off, Shane. I work hard. I give my all to this company. And what do I get? _Nothing_! I've been stuck in pretty much the same spot while a lot of other people who I've always worked with or haven't been in the company half as long as I have are riding Vince's coattails to the top. I can't explain how that feels..."

Shane stared at the man he considered to be one of his best friends in disbelief. He had been a part of this plot to blow up the hotel because he wasn't satisfied with where he was in his career? That wasn't like him at all... "I know how you feel, Man..."

"No, Shane!" Matt snapped, his dark eyes flaring dangerously. "You have _no_ idea how I feel!"

Before either man could say or do anything more, Matt cried out with surprise when Jeff suddenly jumped up onto his back from behind and wrapped his uninjured arm in front of his neck, pulling him back away from Shane. The two brothers struggled for a bit, Jeff not relenting his hold while Matt fought to push him off and get sufficient air into his lungs. This continued until Matt started clawing at Jeff's injured arm, causing a gasp of pain to escape from him, but he still didn't let go. Then, out of anger, Matt slammed Jeff into the wall to get him off. When that didn't work, he did it two more times before Jeff finally let go and slid to the floor, cringing in pain.

"Jeff!" Shane started to run forward to check on the younger Hardy brother, but was stopped when Matt stepped in front of him, a crazed rage shwoing through in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Shane," he muttered, his breathing hard.

Before Shane could ask what he meant, his eyes widened in shock when he saw the piece of concrete Matt had been holding heading straight for his neck.

Suddenly, Matt paused when the hotel shook slightly, a deafening crash coming from further away. "What-!"

Then, some pieces of the ceiling fell from above them and crashed to the floor. Matt stumbled forward, his eyes widening when the piece of rubble in his hand buried itself deep into Shane's throat. The older Hardy backed away from him in shock as he fell to the ground, gasping for air for a long moment before his eyes closed and he stopped moving, his unseeing gaze resting on Matt.

He couldn't believe that he had actually killed one of his closest friends.

Matt turned around, seeing that Jeff was still sitting on the floor, staring up at him with fear in his wide green eyes. He took a couple of steps toward his younger brother, stopping when he scooted back away from him. "Jeff..."

Then, another tremor ran through the hotel, causing more of the ceiling to collapse. Jeff cried out with pain when a larger piece landed on his ankle and a loud snap was heard, and he pulled his foot closer while he writhed in pain since it had been broken.

Matt looked down at the younger man with concern. He ran his hand through his dark curls as he moved his gaze from his brother to the body of his friend. Two people he loved and was supposed to look out for... One dead and one hurt because of him and his career, which seemed so trivial now...

What had he done?

With another sigh, Matt tried approaching the younger Hardy again. "Jeff, come on-!"

"No! Stay away from me!" Jeff cried, pulling himself further away from him. "You've already killed Shane, you monster... Am I next?"

Matt's gaze saddened as he watched Jeff try to catch his breath, his face paling a little due to the pain. "No, Jeff, you're not," he muttered. _Never you. _"I don't know what came over me in that moment... I..."

Jeff watched Matt carefully as he tried to search for the words he needed, sighing as he gave up when they wouldn't come. His older brother, the man he respected, looked up to, and loved had been a part of the plan to blow up the hotel from the start. If he couldn't trust Matt... who could he trust?

The hotel shook a little again, and Matt sighed. "It could fall at any minute," he muttered, speaking the thought he knew was on both of their minds. "You're not going to get far with that broken ankle. Let me-!"

"Well, I'm not going to get far with a pice of concrete in my throat either!" Jeff snapped, the retort hurting him to say. The older man had always been his protector and best friend. He wanted to believe that he wouldn't hurt him...

A thin line of tears formed in Matt's eyes as a couple of silent sobs shook his shoulders. "Jeff... There are so many things I wish I could say, but nothing would express how much regret I'm feeling right now," he said. "I just need you to trust me one more time. If you don't, we're both dead because I'm not going to leave my baby brother trapped in here with no way out." He then stuck his hand out toward him, hoping he would take it.

Jeff sighed heavily as he stared at Matt's proffered hand, weighing out his options. Trust was something that his brother didn't deserve, especially since he wasn't sure if he would turn around and stab him in the back at any moment. But he also knew he was right in the sense that they would both be dead if they didn't move now, and there was too much in his life that was not worth giving up. Beth, his dad, the rest of his friends in North Carolina... He couldn't leave them, no matter how much he didn't want to show Matt how weak he was.

It was with great reluctance that Jeff slowly reached forward and took his hand.

Matt smiled slightly as he pulled him to his feet, immediately having to support him since he was unbalanced due to his broken ankle. "You all right?" he asked.

The only answer he received was a cold glare from Jeff, which he knew he deserved. "All right," the older Hardy muttered. "Let's get you some medical help."

_"Jeff..." _Matt thought as they slowly began to walk down the stairs toward the exit. _"I don't know if you'll ever forgive me but... I'm so, so sorry..."_

* * *

Jay took a step back and watched fearfully as the other man looked down at the knife in shock, the fact that he had been stabbed seeming to not have registered right away. Adam then bit down on his bottom lip as he wrapped his hand tightly around the knife handle, closing his eyes for a moment before holding his breath and quickly pulling it out of his side. But not even the Rated R Superstar could hold back a scream at the sudden intense pain. His breathing hard and ragged, Adam tossed the knife over the balcony so it couldn't be used again before putting his hand to his side. Jay's gaze saddened when his pained eyes moved to him for a second before they closed. He hadn't meant...

Suddenly, Adam's legs collapsed from underneath him, and he fell toward the floor.

Acting on instinct, Jay threw his arms out and caught him before he could hit the ground, helping to safely lower him to the floor. He held his head in his arm and tried to move Adam's hands away to look at the stab wound. "Oh, God..." he whispered. Even though his best friend wasn't cooperating with him, he could tell that the blade had gone deep, and his fear was that he may have pierced a vital organ. "Adam, I'm so sorry... Let me-!"

"_No_," Adam growled angrily, surprising Jay with his sudden ferocity. "I can... take care of myself..." He pushed himself out of the other man's arms with some difficulty before slowly starting to crawl away. His face drastically paled and his breathing came much more labored from the effort, and he didn't get far before he collapsed back to the ground, hand at his side and gasping for breath.

Jay got to his feet and walked over to where Adam lay, kneeling down next to him and gently turning him over onto his back. The other man didn't even have the strength to protest, though he tried for a short minute before giving up. It was taking most of his energy just to get enough air.

The ECW champion sighed before sliding out of his jacket and bunching it up. He knew that he had to try to help slow down the bleeding, clearly seeing that his best friend was dying...

Jay quickly brushed the thought aside. Adam was strong. If he could help do something, he would make it through this, he knew he could. Knowing that this was going to hurt him, he sighed as he moved Adam's hand away and placed his jacket over the wound before pressing down on his side.

Adam cried out hoarsely with pain at the pressure, the sound weakly trailing off as he tried to push the other man's hand away. "Jay..."

"I know," Jay muttered, ignoring Adam as he grabbed his wrist to try to make him stop. "I know it hurst, but it'll help a little. Just trust me."

At this, Adam opened his eyes and winced as he slowly propped himself up on his arms, biting his lip to keep another cry of pain from slipping out. "Oh, yeah, you've given me every reason to trust you," he snapped, glaring up at him. "First, you help blow up the hotel. Then, you almost kill some of my friends. And finally, you're the one that stabs me. Oh, yes, Jay. I definitely trust you with my life right now."

Jay sighed, expecting the anger from the other man since he knew he deserved it. "I didn't mean for that to happen, Adam," he told him quietly.

Adam looked up at the man he grew up with for a long moment while his harsh gaze softened, partly because of what felt like fire burning in his side and partly because he could see the sincerity in his eyes. He was having a hard time figuring the man out. "Why are you helping me, Jay?" he asked, trying to not let his emotion slip through in his tone. "Wouldn't it just be easier for you to let me die for your so-called plan?"

This question Jay didn't have a verbal answer for, so he simply moved his gaze from Adam's face. But in his mind, he knew the reason. The other man was his brother in all senses of the word except for actual blood relation since he had known him for so long. He couldn't live with himself if he allowed him to die...

The Rated R Superstar shook his head before lying back on the floor, staring at the softly lit ceiling from the sun's rays above him. "Jay?"

The other man brought himself to look back at Adam, surprised that his tone was no longer angry or accusing. "Yeah?"

Adam sighed, his eyes narrowing slightly in confusion. "What happened to us?" he wondered quietly. "We used to be best friends... brothers. We grew up together, nothing able to break us apart. And now..." His sentence trailed off when a coughing fit seized his body.

Jay immediately leaned over him, looking at Adam's pale face nervously as he placed his hand on his arm. "Are you okay?" He knew it was a stupid question even before he asked it. Of course he wasn't okay. He had just been stabbed...

"What happened to us?" Jay whispered to himself, repeating Adam's earlier question. All he knew was that he had let his selfishness get the best of him, a mistake that my have cost him his closest friend.

Once his coughing stopped, Adam took a long moment to catch his breath before moving his weary gaze to Jay. Then, he laughed a little.

"What?" Jay asked quietly, surprised.

After taking a few more deep breaths, Adam shook his head. "I just never thought I would die this way..." he answered in a weak voice.

Jay leaned forward again. "Hey, don't go saying things like that," he told him confidently. "You're going to pull through... There's an emergency exit I can take you to that's right by where most of our rooms were. We can get out there."

Adam stared at Jay with an incredulous look in his eyes. There had been an exit that close all along? "How do I know I can trust you?" he asked quietly.

He had been expecting the question, but that didn't make it hurt any less. Hearing his lifelong friend question their trust was indescribably painful. Jay sighed, not moving his friend's exhausted ones. "You'll have to if you want to survive," he answered in a voice hardly above a whisper, hoping his tone was controlled.

The two men stared at each other for a long moment, wills silently clashing, before Adam finally sighed, knowing what he had to do. The man was his best friend, after all, and he should have trusted him with his life... "All right, Jay," he muttered, wincing with pain as he pushed himself up into a sitting position.

"Hey, take it easy," Jay cautioned when Adam had to stop to catch his breath, trying not to cry out at the obvious pain he was in. "Let me help."

Though he didn't like it, Adam also didn't protest as Jay took his arm and put it around his shoulders. The Rated R Superstar held the jacket to his side tightly while Jay put his other arm behind his back, and after waiting for a long moment, helped both of them to their feet. Adam hoarsely screamed with pain from standing, closing his eyes as he leaned entirely on Jay for support.

"I'm sorry, Adam," Jay whispered, seeing with worry that the other man's face had paled drastically as he wavered. "Walk with me, okay? The sooner we get out of here, the better."

Adam opened his eyes and nodded, looking ahead of them with determination in his gaze as they started walking away from the balcony. They went slowly through the rubble, often having to stop for Adam to catch his breath or because the pain grew too intense. Each time, Jay would quietly encourage him and say they had to keep going, knowing that if they didn't get out in time, he would die.

Finally, Adam stopped and shook his head, closing his eyes as he leaned entirely on the other man again. "I can't do this, Jay," he muttered, the searing pain starting to spread. "I can't..."

"We have to." Jay was anxious when he heard the quiet statement. Adam never gave up, so he wasn't going to give up on his best friend. "Adam, I'm not going to leave you behind. You're going to get out of here."

Adam waited for another moment for the pain to die down again before he nodded. "Okay, I think-!"

Suddenly, they heard a deafening crack from behind them, and Adam and Jay quickly looked over their shoulders, seeing that the balcony was finally starting to cave in. Adam's eyes widened. Though it was collapsing very rapidly, time seemed to slow down for him as it came closer and closer to them...

Then, he felt a forceful hand against his back as he was pushed forward, and Adam had to drop the jacket as he steadied himself against the wall to keep from falling. He gasped when he saw Jay, who was still behind him, begin to fall as the balcony collapsed from underneath him out of the corner of his eye.

Jay had seen the crumbling balcony as well, and his first instinct was that there was only time for either him or Adam to get to safety since it was happening so fast. Without even a second thought, he had pushed his best friend out of harm's way, fully knowing the consequences, as the ground disappeared from beneath his feet.

Now he was starting to fall, knowing that he wouldn't survive the impact below. Jay closed his eyes, surprisingly finding himself accepting that fact. After all that he had done, he deserved it more than Adam. This way...

Suddenly, Jay gasped as his eyes snapped open when he felt a hand wrap around his wrist to stop his fall. He was shocked to see that Adam was above him, his wild eyes wide as he struggled to keep his hold on him.

"No... I'm not going to let you fall... Jay..."

When he had seen the other man beginning to fall along with the balcony, Adam had lunged forward in an adrenaline-fueled movement to try to catch him, and he smiled slightly to himself when he saw that he had succeeded. He started to pull him back up onto more solid ground with difficulty, but when Jay was up enough, he was able to push himself out of danger.

Jay knelt on the floor, his breathing hard, as he stared down at his hands in disbelief. He was alive... all because of a man he had known for almost his entire life that he had believed hated him. He looked up, seeing that Adam was kneeling next to him and giving him a small smile. Then, he wavered a little before he closed his eyes and fell to the floor.

"Adam!" Jay shouted with worry, moving over to his side quickly and checking him over. "Adam!" He was alarmed to see that his face was now deathly pale, his breathing short and irregular.

"... Jay..." The single word came out in only a whisper, barely heard by the other man.

The ECW champion cursed heatedly under his breath, realizing that Adam had exhausted the rest of his much-needed strength to save him. If he died because of that reason... "Damn you," he muttered, taking his arm and putting it around his neck. "Why did you do that, Adam?"

The Rated R Superstar didn't respond, so Jay sighed as he wrapped his arm behind his back and stood. Adam only winced at the action, leaning completely against him with his head resting on his shoulder. Knowing that he had to get out immediately, Jay began to run down the hallway, being as careful as he could with the other man as he brought him along with him.

THe halls were all a blur to Jay as he hurried through them, rushing toward the one he needed as he ignored the couple of tremors that shook the hotel from the balcony collapsing. Beside him, Adam was starting to gasp for air, a nearly silent whimper escaping from him as his hand unconsciously moved to his side.

"Hold on, Adam," Jay muttered, speeding up a little. "We're almost there. Just hold on..."

When Jay turned the corner into the hallway where most of their rooms had been, he stopped with surprise when he saw a body lying at the end. Hurrying forward again, he saw that it was Shane Helms, and his gaze darkened with sympathy for a moment before he continued carefully down the stairs. He reached the bottom and hurried through the now empty doorway since it had been knocked down, stepping outside onto the hill that overlooked the lake.

They had made it.

"Adam, we're out," Jay said, smiling when he felt the cool breeze on his face. "It's going to be okay now..."

But the smile vanished from his face when he got no response from the other man, and he quickly looked over at him. Through his blond hair, Jay could see that his face had gotten a shade paler, his eyes closed as his head lolled limply onto his chest. His anxiety spiking, Jay put his hand in front of his mouth, hardly feeling his breath on his fingers.

"Don't do this, Adam," Jay said frantically, tilting his face up toward him. "Not after we made it this far... Adam, don't you _dare_ die. Not now... Please..."

Jay's sentence trailed off when a single tear escaped from his eye and slowly trailed down his cheek as sobs shook him. He should have fallen along with the balcony if it meant saving his best friend. If Adam died now instead...

"Come on, Adam... Stay with me..."

"... Jay..."

The voice was so quiet he barely heard it, and Jay quickly looked down at Adam. He saw with surprise that he was looking up at him with weary blue eyes, a small smile appearing on his face. Jay returned it, knowing that somehow, his lifelong friend, his brother, was going to be all right.

* * *

Maria grabbed onto Phil's hand a bit tighter when the building shook again. "Where's Shane?" she muttered fearfully, laying her head on his shoulder. They had both heard something in the building collapse, and she was sure the rest was soon to follow. "We need to get out of here..."

"I know," Phil replied, holding her close. "I saw we just forget about him. If he wants to go off on his own, let him go. Meanwhile, I think we should find our own way out."

"Good idea." Maria slowly got to her feet with Phil beside her, and together, they began to hurry down the hall.

When they rounded the corner to where most of their rooms had been, Maria screamed when they nearly ran into someone. "God, Shane..."

"Sorry about that," the younger McMahon said. "I just wanted to check out this possible exit over here I was told about. It looks like it's a go. Come on."

Maria and Phil glanced at each other with confusion, finding it hard to believe that there had been a way out that close the entire time, but they still followed after him. Shane went through a door on the left at the end of the hall, but Maria stopped and gasped when that there was a body near it.

"Oh, my God, it's Helms..." she whispered, looking at him with fear.

Phil sighed heavily at the loss of their friend, Pulling Maria close when she buried her face in his chest. "Come on, Ria," he told her quietly. "We need to keep moving or else we'll end up the same way."

Maria took a deep, shuddering breath as she slowly nodded, allowing Phil to start helping her down the stairs. Shane was at the bottom waiting for them, and he gave them a smile once they reached him. "All right, so here's-!"

Before he could finish his sentence, there was a loud crack above them, and pieces of ceiling started to fall toward them. Maria screamed as Phil pulled her out of harm's way and Shane stumbled backward, and the three of them watched fearfully as a small rubble pile formed in the doorway.

"We'll have to climb over to get out," Phil said, coughing since some dust had entered his lungs in the collapse. "Ria, why don't you go first? Just be careful..."

"Phil..."

Then, a silhouette blocked the light that was coming in through the empty doorway. "Are you guys all right?" a familiar voice called out.

"Dad?" Shane asked, squinting to try to see the man more clearly.

"_Shane_?" The relief in Vince's voice was clear. "Oh, thank God... Who's with you? Matt, Jeff, Jay, Adam, Drew, Taryn, and John all made it out..."

"Maria and Phil," Shane told him. "We're the only ones left. No one else made it..."

They could hear a quiet sigh from outside. "All right," the chairman muttered, some defeat now in his tone. "You three come out now. I'll help you."

Phil gently pushed Maria in front of him, signaling to her that she should be the first. "Go ahead, Ria," he said quietly. "I'll be right behind you."

Maria turned back to him, kissing him quickly before approaching the exit. She put one hand on the doorway to keep herself steady as she carefully climbed over the rubble pile, hesitating for a moment when the frame creaked loudly under her touch, before reaching out and taking Vince's outstretched hand. The chairman pulled her outside, giving her a quick, one-armed hug before turning his attention to the other two still inside.

Phil came out next, the doorway once again creaking loudly when it was touched. He allowed Vince to help him out before he bent over a little, trying to catch his breath as the pain traveled through his body. He looked up when he heard Maria approach him, and he pulled her close as he wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest, a few stray tears falling from her eyes.

"It's okay, Ria," he whispered, rubbing her back in a comforting way as he kissed the side of her head. "We're out... It's going to be okay."

"I know," Maria muttered, still clinging to Phil tightly. "I know..."

Vince then helped Shane over the rubble pile before pulling him into a relieved embrace. It was finally over. Everyone who had survived had escaped. "Are you all right?" he asked, holding his son at arm's length to look him over for injuries. Aside from a few cuts and bruises, he appeared to be unharmed.

Shane gave him a small smile as he nodded. "Yeah, Dad, I'm fine," he answered. "Don't-!"

Suddenly, there was a deafening cracking sound around them, and Vince, Shane, Phil, and Maria quickly looked up, seeing that large pieces of rubble were falling toward them as the entire hotel started to collapse.

* * *

Drew and Taryn stood next to each other by the ambulance, her wrapped in his arm, as a medic checked over John's injuries. He had also tried to look at the couple, but Drew pushed him away after he looked over Taryn, assuring them that they were all right and their friend was the one that needed the most attention.

"You might have some possible fractures," the medic said, pressing on John's lower back. "It's hard to say for sure. We'll need to get you to a hospital for further tests."

"That's fine," John muttered through his wince.

The medic smiled at him apologetically before turning his attention to Drew and Taryn. "Stay with him a minute?"

"Of course." Drew watched as the medic disappeared around the side of the ambulance before looking at John. "Sorry about that."

"That's okay," John replied as he leaned back on his hands. "Poking what hurts is part of their job."

Taryn smiled slightly, glad to see that his sense of humor hadn't been too affected by his injury. "Well, at least at the hospital, they can do more," she said.

"If you mean more poking, then yes, I'd agree."

Drew smiled, about to jokingly tell him to stop complaining, when they heard a deafening sound from behind them. He quickly turned around, just in time to see the entire hotel collapse, most of it falling into the lake below.

Taryn covered her mouth while John straightened up, his eyes widening with fear. "Oh, my God..."

"Some people were still in there," Drew muttered before running toward the ruins.

"Drew, what are you doing?!" Taryn screamed after him. She looked down when she felt a hand on her arm, seeing John's concerned expression. She knew it was dangerous, but Drew was one of the most important people in her life.

"I'll be back," she told him, squeezing his hand assuringly before hurrying after her fiance.

* * *

Phil immediately pulled Maria back away from the collapsing building while Vince and Shane stumbled back. But the chairman didn't get away enough as a few larger pieces fell on his legs, crying out with pain when they trapped him down.

"Ria, are you okay?" Phil asked, looking her over anxiously.

Maria nodded before hugging him tightly. "What about Vince?" she murmured.

"He'll be..." Phil's sentence trailed off when he saw that Vince was still trapped beneath the rubble and Shane was slowly walking around him, what appeared to almost be an amused smirk on his face.

Vince grunted with pain when he couldn't push the rubble off him, and he leaned back on his arms, his breathing hard. "Shane... could you give me a hand here?"

However, Shane stopped walking and crouched down next to him, an unreadable glint in his eye. "I bet you're wondering who's responsible for blowing up the hotel, huh, Dad?" he said, something off about his tone.

"Of course I do. That son of a bitch deserves to get his ass thrown in prison," Vince replied, wondering why his son had brought this up. "I've already had two people admit to helping, but..."

"Matt and Jay, right?"

The chairman paused, looking up at his son with shock. "How did you know that?"

Shane's smirk widened. "Jay took a lot of convincing, but he finally agreed," he muttered thoughtfully. "He told me that he didn't want Adam involved. And Matt... Matt was a bit easier since he didn't know that Jeff was going to be visiting this week. It's hard to find good help...."

Vince's shock quickly drained to fear as he stared at his son with wide eyes. "_You_..."

"Still think that my ass should be thrown in prison, Dad?" Instead of waiting for an answer since the chairman clearly didn't have one, Shane laughed a little as he got to his feet. "You know, it wasn't too hard to blow up the hotel with Matt, Jay, and Evan to help since they were all disgruntled with what had become of their WWE careers. But of course, I didn't start with the bomb. I started smaller with a can of fumes in someone's room to send a message..."

Phil tensed angrily as Shane moved his cruel eyes to them, tightening his arms around Maria protectively. He had put the fumes in her room... He had almost killed her...

Maria stared at Shane with fear as he turned his attention back to Vince. He had been the one behind the bombing... Then, she gasped and watched with shock as Phil released her and began to run toward the younger McMahon.

"Phil!"

At her cry, Shane looked up but was too late as Phil punched him forcefully in the jaw, smiling as he stumbled back. He was going to regret hurting Maria...

But Shane was quick. He recovered from the hit before ramming his shoulder into Phil's stomach, sending waves of pain through the rest of his body. The Straightedge Superstar cried out as he stumbled back, the air completely knocked out of him. Shane reached down and grabbed a long, wooden plank, hitting him hard over the head with it. Phil fell to the ground, dazed.

"Phil!" Maria ran over to him and dropped down next to his side, quickly brushing some of his black hair out of his face. "Phil!"

Then, she gasped and looked up at Shane with fear when he approached them, wooden plank still in hand. She wrapped Phil's head in her arms and held it protectively against her chest, her breath quickening when he started to raise his makeshift weapon...

"Stop, Shane!" Vince suddenly yelled, causing his son to pause. "Why are you doing this?"

"Why? _Why_?" Shane threw down the plank, causing Maria to flinch, before he stormed back over to Vince's side, glaring furiously down at him. "You took _everything_ from me when you fired me, Dad! This was my home! I thought it would only be fair to take everything from _you_!"

Before Vince could say anything to this, his eyes widened with shock when someone hit Shane over the head with the same wooden plank that he had attacked Phil with, and he looked up to see that Drew had joined them. The young Scotsman had heard everything that Shane had said about being responsible for the bombing, and he growled angrily as he hit him with the plank again and sent him to the ground. Then, in his rage, he kicked the younger McMahon forcefully in the side before dropping down next to him and punching him repeatedly.

"You bastard!" Drew shouted, all of his bottled up anger coming out in every strike against the younger McMahon. "You almost killed everyone!"

"Stop it, Drew!" Vince ordered, watching the violent display with horror. Though he was attacking the man responsible for everything that had happened, he was also attacking his son. Phil pushed himself up onto his arm, prepared to jump in and restrain the younger superstar if needed, though his head was still throbbing painfully. "Drew!"

But the chairman's words weren't enough to stop Drew's relentless strikes as Shane struggled to protect himself.

"Drew!"

The Scotsman gasped and stopped at the sudden new voice, and he slowly looked over his shoulder to see Taryn standing a small distance behind him, a thin line of tears in her eyes.

"Stop," she muttered.

His breathing hard, Drew looked back down at the younger McMahon, his gaze taking in his bruised and bloodied face. The damage had been done. "You're lucky, you son of a bitch," he said quietly with a smirk before getting to his feet, turning his back on him as he walked toward his fiance. Vince sighed heavily and closed his eyes while Phil smiled slightly to himself, feeling as though his revenge was enacted through the other superstar.

Shane slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, ignoring the blood that was trickling from his nose as he glared at Drew's retreating back. He unsteadily got to his feet, reaching for something hidden in his pant leg. Phil watched him carefully, his hazel eyes widening with fear when he watched the younger McMahon pull out a small, black handgun and aim it at the Scotsman.

"Drew, look out!"

Since he was the only one who noticed it, Phil pushed himself out of Maria's arms and quickly ran toward him. Drew turned around, watching with shock as the Straightedge Superstar approached Shane, who was aiming a gun at him, from the side and grabbed onto him. Since he was so surprised, the younger McMahon spun to face him, his finger pressing down on the trigger as a loud gunshot rang out.

"_No_!" Maria watched with horror as Phil slumped to the ground as the sound echoed around them. Shane stepped back away from them, some shock on his face, crying out when Drew grabbed him from behind, wrestling the gun away from him before shoving him to the ground, digging his knee into his back and twisting his arms painfully behind him to hold him in place.

"Taryn, get help!" he shouted anxiously.

As if in a daze, Maria ran over to Phil and dropped down next to him, carefully turning him onto his back and placing his head in her lap. Tears burned in her eyes when she saw the blood blossoming on his side. "No... no..." she murmured anxiously running her fingers gently over his pale cheek. "Phil... Come on, Phil, look at me... Please..."

After an agonizing moment of no response, Phil's eyes slowly fluttered open, his dim gaze finding her face. "Ri... Ria..." he whispered in between his short, irregular breaths.

Maria tried to smile down at him as she took his hand in hers, but it was difficult due to the tears that were now streaming freely down her face. "It's going to be okay, Phil," she told him, her voice shaking. "It's going to be okay. Just hang in there... Help's on the way."

An expression of excruciating pain passes across Phil's face as he closed his eyes for a long moment before he took a couple of deep breaths and looked back up at her. "Don't cry," he said quietly. "I love you... Ria..."

Her breath catching in her chest, Maria looked down at Phil fearfully as she shook her head in protest. "No, Phil, stay with me," she pleaded, sobs shaking her. "You... you said you would always be here. You promised that we would start our family. You can't do this... Please don't leave me... Phil, please..."

Phil gave her a sad smile as he watched her tears. "I'm sorry..." Then, his eyes slowly closed.

Maria felt her stomach tighten painfully. "Phil?" she whispered as she ran her hand through his dark hair, hardly feeling his light, uneven breath on her arm. When he didn't respond to her, she pulled his head against her chest and held him close, the sounds of her sobs echoing in the early morning air around them.

"_Phil_!"

**Author's Note**: I would like to start off by saying I have the last chapter already written in preparation for your response to this terrible cliffhanger, so I should update within the next couple of days. Thanks for reading, guys! Hope you enjoyed is extra long chapter! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thanks!


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Hey! Thanks to **Hailey Egan**, **x0allisonqt0x**, **jcott3**, **hardygirl87**, **SILENTMUSINGS**, **purplelygoodnes **(you'll get your Miz line, lol!), **dumwolf**, **myers1978**, and **ThePinkyPop** for your reviews! You guys are awesome! Well, this is the last chapter. Thank you all for sticking with me! Glad you all enjoyed it! So, here we go with the aftermath.

_Chapter 10_

_"When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears_

_When you'd scream I'd fight away all of your fears_

_And I held your hand through all of these years_

_But you still have all of me..."_

-"My Immortal," Evanescence

_Three weeks later..._

Maria sighed as she stood outside of the room Vince McMahon was using in the arena, quickly knocking on the door. That night had been one of the hardest of her life since the actual bombing, though there hadn't been a day that had gone by where her dreams weren't haunted and her waking thoughts weren't plagued by memories. The Smackdown show that evening had been dedicated to the superstars that had lost their lives in the attack with her and the rest of the survivors standing in the ring together in tribute. To her, it was a miracle she made it through that night.

"Come in."

When she heard the chairman's gruff voice, Maria closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she pushed open the door. She looked at Vince sitting at the table sadly, seeing the picture of him and both of his children that he always brought with him. She knew that learning his son was the one behind the bombing had been exceptionally painful for him, especially since he was going to be spending almost the rest of his life in prison.

Vince watched her carefully close the door behind her. "So, you've made up your mind?" he asked. "This is what you want to do?"

Maria nodded. "Yes," she answered quietly.

"All right." Vince grabbed the crutches that were leaning against the table and pushed himself to his feet. "I need you to sign this release form."

The diva nodded, brushing her hair back from her face as bent over and picked up the pen, signing on the line. "Here you go," she said, holding the paper out for him to take.

Vince sighed as he took it from her. "We're sad to see you go, Maria," he told her quietly.

Maria felt a thin line of tears form in her eyes. "I know, and it makes me sad to go," she replied. "But with everything that's happened and with a child on the way, I just can't do it."

"I understand. You don't have to explain it to me." Vince then let go of one of his crutches and pulled her into a quick hug. "I wish you all the best. And if sometime in the future you'd want to consider coming back, a door will be open for you somewhere."

"I'll keep that in mind," Maria muttered, wiping a stray tear from her cheek as she smiled up at the chairman. "Bye, Vince."

"Bye, Maria."

Her smile lingering, Maria turned and left the room, stopping with surprise when she almost walked into someone as she shut the door behind her. "Hey, Jeff."

"Hey." Though he tried to be cheerful, there was something off about the younger Hardy, but she couldn't blame him. She couldn't imagine what it had been like to find out his own brother had been involved with the bombing and was now sitting in prison for it, though his sentence was much lighter than Shane McMahon's. It was going to be a long road ahead for the brothers. His green eyes saddened a bit as he looked down at her. "So, you went through with it then?"

Maria slowly nodded. Jeff had been one of the only people she told about her plans. "Yep, I resigned," she confirmed. "I just can't do it right now with everything..."

"I know," Jeff muttered, placing his hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "Smackdown's losing a wonderful diva."

"Well, WWE hasn't been the same since the Charismatic Enigma left," Maria replied with a smile.

Jeff laughed a little before he sighed, pulling Maria close to him in a tight hug. "You have my number," he told her quietly. "Keep in touch, okay, Maria?"

"Of course," Maria assured him, being careful of his foot brace and wrapped arm. "I'll talk to you later, okay, Jeff?"

"Okay, sounds good. See you later."

Maria smiled, walking past him down the hall. She was just anxious to get out of the arena and try to sleep, though she knew it wouldn't be easy. She passed by Drew and Taryn, who were on their way to the locker rooms, and got hugs from both of them before continuing on her way, not in the mood to stay and talk. If she had to explain to another person what she was doing, she feared she would break down. Her emotions were a mess, and she felt like she was leaving a big part of herself behind her the closer and closer she got to the doors.

When Maria reached the lobby, she saw that Adam was sitting at one of the tables in the food court, mindlessly playing with an empty cup. She stopped at the base of the stairs and watched him for a moment. No one knew exactly what had happened between him and Jay in the hotel other than Adam would have died if it hadn't been for the other man since he wasn't telling anyone, though she did know that the ECW champion's sentence had been drastically reduced since it was argued he had killed Evan to protect Taryn and he hadn't been involved in the actual bombing. Shane and Evan had been the two that set the bomb off, and after his next court date, there was a good chance that Jay would get off on probation.

Wanting to make sure he was okay, Maria slowly walked over to him. "Hey, Adam."

Adam stopped what he was doing and looked up at her. "Hey, Maria."

"You all right?" Maria asked, sitting down in the chair across from him. She wasn't used to seeing the Rated R Superstar so quiet and withdrawn.

"Yeah," Adam answered casually, looking down and starting to play with the cup again. "I'm just thinking about what happened. I know it's been three weeks, but every night, I wake up and panic because I think I'm still trapped inside that hotel..."

Maria's eyes saddened. "I know what you mean," she murmured. "I go through the same sort of thing. I know it'll get easier to deal with in time, but now..."

Adam nodded, knowing exactly what the red-haired diva was talking about. They didn't say anything for a long moment until Maria finally sighed. "Well, I'm gonna go and try to get some sleep," she said as she slowly stood up. "If you ever want to talk..."

"I'll give you a call," Adam finished as he got to his feet as well, giving her a one-armed hug.

Maria smiled and left the food court, crossing the lobby and pushing open the front door as she stepped out into the night. There she found John leaning back against the railing, his bags at his feet. "Waiting for a ride?" she asked, going down the couple of stairs to join him.

"Yeah," John answered. "Mike wanted to be here for the tribute, so we carpooled. Plus, with my back, he didn't think I should be driving."

"Still wearing the brace for that fracture, huh?" Maria said, remembering what she had told him about the injury.

John nodded. "It'll come off in a couple more weeks, but it'll take a little more time than that before I can start wrestling again," he explained with a sigh. "I'm just glad it's over..."

"I hope it is," Maria muttered, hoping that with the tribute that night, she could finally rest a bit more peacefully. "I need sleep..."

"I haven't gotten much either," John replied. "I've been having nightmares..."

Maria sighed, knowing that he had been the one to see Beth get killed and was then almost killed by Evan, but she knew she couldn't fully understand how traumatizing that was. But before she could offer any words of comfort, a dark car pulled up, and Mike Mizanin stepped out of the driver's side.

"Ready to go, John?" he asked, opening the trunk for him.

"Yep." John turned to Maria, giving her a hug. "I'll talk to you later. Good night."

"Okay. You too." Maria hoped she wasn't hurting him as she hugged him back, but John seemed to be okay as he released her and picked up his bags, walking to the car and putting them in the trunk. Mike closed it, waving to Maria as he got back in behind the wheel and John got in the passenger side beside him. Then, he began to drive away.

Once the car was out of sight, Maria walked down the sidewalk and sat down on a bench that was under a tree in front of the arena. She looked up at the star-filled sky above her with a heavy sigh, a thin line of tears forming in her eyes. After all that had happened and the decisions she had to make, she was both physically and mentally exhausted. All that she wanted to do was sleep and forget about everything...

Then, she jumped and gasped when her hooded sweatshirt was draped gently over her shoulders, and she quickly looked up at the man behind her, not having heard him approach.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," Phil muttered, sitting down on the bench next to her and wrapping his arm around her.

Maria slipped her arms into the sweater's sleeves before sighing and resting her head on Phil's shoulder, wrapping her arms around him to hold him close. She had come so close to losing him when he had been shot by Shane that for some time, she thought she had. But fortunately, the bullet had missed any vital organs, and he was on the way to making a full recovery.

Phil sighed as he placed his chin on top of her hair. "So you got your release worked out?" he asked.

"Yeah," Maria answered quietly. "I'm sorry, Phil, but I can't..."

"Hey, it's okay, Ria. You have nothing to apologize for," Phil told her, kissing he head. "After all, you didn't know the bombing was going to happen, none of us did. We didn't know about this child..."

"I know." Maria took Phil's hand tightly in hers as though she had no intention of letting it go, blinking her tears away when she found that was all she could say. She only hoped that all she was feeling was getting across. "I love you, Phil."

Phil gently tilted up Maria's face so she was meeting his hazel eyes, running his thumb lightly but lovingly over her cheek. "I love you too, Ria," he murmured before meeting her lips in a deep kiss.

They parted after a moment, and Maria laid her head back on his shoulder. "Phil?"

"Yeah, Ria?"

Maria sighed heavily, looking up at him again. "You'll still always be here, right?" she asked quietly, uncertainty in her tone. "Like you said?"

Phil looked at her sadly as he sighed, running his hand through her hair in a comforting way. After all that happened, he wasn't surprised by her fear. "Of course I will be, Ria," he told her, kissing her again before pulling her close to him. "Always."

**The End**

**Author's Note**: So, that's it! I hope you guys enjoyed it! Thanks again for sticking with me through this story, I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for reading! Your reviews are much appreciated. Thank you!


	11. Trailer

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing associated with the WWE.

**Author's Note**: Okay. So, there's _one_ more update left for this story. Thank you to all who read and enjoyed this one! I hope you enjoy what I'm posting now (and after) just as much! After much deliberation and planning with a couple awesome people, there's this. I'm excited for this story, I hope you all will be too. So, enjoy the "trailer" for the "Sixty Seconds" sequel!

_A black screen_

**Maria**: (_voiceover_): "It's been over a year. I can finally close my eyes without worrying about what I'm going to see..."

**Nine superstars overcame impossible odds to return to the place they call home...**

_Shows a sequence of shots:_

_A hotel blowing up_

_Maria Kanellis reaching for the door of her hotel room but collapsing before she reaches it_

_A smiling Maria holding a baby girl in her arms, showing her off to other divas_

_Phil Brooks grabbing Shane McMahon, shocked when he's shot in the side_

_Phil walking out from backstage and kneeling on the ramp, surrounded by cheering fans_

_Adam Copeland collapsing to the floor after tossing a knife over the balcony_

_Adam throwing his hands in the air on the ramp, fans cheering as sparks set off behind him_

_Jay Reso struggling to help a barely conscious Adam out of the collapsed hotel_

_Jay scanning the screaming crowd as he steps out onto the ramp_

_Matt Hardy helping a limping Jeff Hardy out of the collapsed building_

_Matt smiling as he talks to Vince McMahon before shaking his hand_

_Jeff Hardy wrapping a gash on his arm_

_Jeff smiling broadly as he claps, watching the show from backstage_

_John Hennigan crying out with pain as large pieces of rubble land on his back and trap him to the ground_

_John coming out onto the ramp in slow motion, hair blowing back as sparks fly behind him, fans screaming around him_

_Drew Galloway growling angrily as he punches Shane McMahon repeatedly_

_Drew walking out onto the ramp, smiling at the cheering fans_

_Taryn Terrell sobbing, wrapped in Drew's arms_

_Taryn skipping out onto the ramp, grinning as fans scream around her before fading to a black screen_

**Jeff **(_voiceover_): "Looks like we all had the same idea."

_Shows a shot of Phil, Adam, Jay, Matt, Jeff, John, Drew, and Taryn standing on the hill where the hotel had once been, staring at the ruins as the sun sets over the lake_

**John**: "This is where it all happened..."

**Phil**: "It's over now."

**But some hatred never dies.**

_Shows a shot of an empty prison cell before fading into a shot of Shane McMahon sitting behind the wheel of a car, glancing in the rear-view mirror_

**Shane**: (_voiceover_): "Matt... Jay..."

_Shows a shot of Matt looking at Jeff, but Jeff walks away_

**Shane**: (_voiceover_): "... you will regret turning your backs on me..."

_Shows a shot of Jay smiling and hugging Adam_

**Shane** (_voiceover_): "... when I take away the one thing you care about most."

_Cuts sharply to a black screen_

**Jay** (_voiceover_): "Adam!"

_Fades into a shot of Matt confronting Jeff, tending to a cut on his cheek_

**Matt**: "Why didn't you call me when you were in trouble?"

**Jeff**: "_Now_ you care again?"

**Matt**: "You don't know what he has planned, Jeff."

**Jeff**: "Like you do?"

_Cuts to a shot of an out-of-breath Adam sitting in the parking lot, surrounded by Jay, Phil, and John_

**Adam**: "It's Shane..."

_Shows a shot of Shane, smirking cruelly as he pulls Adam forcefully up by his hair_

**Shane**: "Tell him, Adam. Tell him it's all his fault you're here."

**Adam**: "No."

_Cuts sharply to a black screen_

**It's a fight for survival...**

_Show's a quick sequence of shots:_

_A burning building_

_Jeff trying to control his car as he's run off the road_

_A cloth being placed over Adam's mouth and nose from behind_

_Taryn screaming as she covers her mouth with horror_

_Maria holding a baby girl close to her chest as she backs away from the door of her hotel room fearfully_

_Drew and John running down the sidewalk after a dark figure_

_Jay speeding down the road with Jeff in the passenger seat_

_Phil talking anxiously into his cell phone_

_Matt pounding on the wall in frustration_

_Shane holding a crying baby girl_

**... and time is running out.**

_Shows a couple of shots in slow motion:_

_Jay being restrained by John and Jeff, trying to fight out of their hold_

_Taryn being held by Drew, tears falling from her eyes_

_Matt exchanging a defeated look with Phil_

_Maria putting her head into her hands and sobbing_

_Adam running his hand through his hair before crying out with frustration_

_Phil running down a hallway in the hotel, coming to a stop in front of one of the rooms and forcing the door open_

**Phil**: (_voiceover_): "Stay away from my family!"

_Cuts sharply to a black screen_

_**Thirty Minutes**_

**Shane**: (_voiceover_): "That's all the time you have. Good luck."

_Coming soon!_


End file.
